“I’m not an attorney but I play one on a message board”
Every once in a while, and this is as predictable as the tides, questions about intellectual property issues such as trademark and copyright crop up on sewing message boards and forums. And just a predictably, people who are not attorneys seem compelled, for some inexplicable reason, to dispense legal advice.
Now granted, anyone can offer their personal opinion on a legal issue. But the whole notion of “I’m not an attorney but I play one on a message board” is not only unethical - it’s illegal.
Dispensing legal advice is practicing law, and to practice law you need a license. And if you are not licensed to practice law, then keep your legal advice to yourself and stop using forums and message boards as a bully pulpit to dispense information you have no right to dispense.
I am not an attorney - although I do have a paralegal degree from a university program acredited by the American Bar Association. I work in a corporate legal job and I have several years of experience in intellectual property, contract and licensing. Ethics are a huge part of the legal profession and a huge consideration in my career and my life.
If I was on the receiving end of sewing message board legal “advice” I’d view it with the utmost skepticism and I certainly wouldn’t rely on it for being anything more than the uninformed, albeit interesting, opinion of a regular joe. And if I had a real concern I’d certainly consult an attorney.
