MSBA Email Lists

EMAIL LIST RULES
The Maryland State Bar Association provides these Email Lists as a benefit to its members. The purpose of the Email Lists is to facilitate communication between members of the various committees and sections. The Email Lists are to be used only for the discussion of related MSBA issues or other legal-related discussions.

We will send these Rules of Etiquette (“Netiquette”) to the Email Lists on a regular basis as a friendly reminder for long-time users and as valuable information for newcomers. The subject header will be Rules of Etiquette.
If you have any comments, additions, deletions or changes to these rules, please forward them to John Anderson, MSBA web coordinator. His e-mail address is janderson@msba.org. If you experience any problems with other members on the list not adhering to these rules, please contact Pat Yevics, Director, Law Office Management Assistance at pyevics@msba.org.

GENERAL DISCLAIMER
The MSBA is not responsible for any opinions or statements on the Email List. The MSBA disclaims all warranties with regard to the information posted whether posted by the MSBA or any third party. This disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. The MSBA has no liability for damages and/or injuries including but not limited to, special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever arising out of the use or performance of any posted information. Defamatory, abusive, profane, offensive, illegal or unauthorized copyrighted material is not permitted. Persons posting any information represent and warrant that the material is either original in all respects or that permission to reproduce the materials has been granted by the copyright owner. The MSBA reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these guidelines.

Note: The list is not moderated. Your messages will not be screened before you send them. Please exercise caution in your postings so as not to reveal client confidences. Members of the Bar executive staff are also members of the list and do monitor messages. However, we encourage any member who sees something inappropriate to contact the MSBA as soon as possible.

ANTI-TRUST ISSUES
Do not post queries or information, and refrain from any discussion which may provide the basis for an inference that the members agreed to take action relating to prices, production, allocation of markets, or any other matter having a market effect. Examples of topics which should not be discussed include current or future billing rates, fees, disbursement charges or other items which would be construed as “price”, fair profit, billing rate, or wage level, current billing or fee procedures, imposition of credit terms. Do not post regarding refusing to deal with anyone because of his/her pricing or fees. Such discussions are strictly prohibited and the MSBA is not responsible for any such discussions.

There is no organization too small or too localized to escape the possibility of a civil or criminal antitrust suit, and the penalties for violating federal or state antitrust laws are severe. The government’s attitude toward professional associations requires professional association members, as well as professional associations themselves, to at all times conduct their business openly and avoid any semblance of activity which might lead to the belief that the association members had agreed, even informally, to something that could have an effect on prices, fees or competition.

ATTACHMENTS
The majority of the Email Lists provided by the MSBA do not accept attachments. This allows Email List performance to remain high and protects list members from virus attacks.

To share a file with list members upload your file to a free file storage website such as FileFactory and then share the link with list members. Note to list members: these files may contain a virus. Keep your virus software up to date.

If you wish to send an attachment to an individual member of the list, you may do so but not to the list. You should get permission from a member of the list to send an attachment.

INAPPROPRIATE POSTS
Do not forward jokes or any other messages via the Email List. You have no idea where it will eventually be received. The Internet allows for very easy forwarding and sending of information. If you would not send out the jokes or message on your firm’s letterhead, then do not forward it.

Do not send anything via e-mail you do not want to see in public

If you receive an email about a scam, missing person, once in a lifetime deal or possible hidden danger that you want to forward to the list, don’t. First test the validity of the message at www.snopes.com, it might be an urban legend or chain letter. If you believe it is valid please distribute it to your personal distribution list which your email software will help you create. The exception would be if a valid message relates directly to the Email List groups focus.

FLAMING
Do not "flame". "Flaming" includes the making of derogatory comments, ridicule, excessive sarcasm, and innuendo. It is important to recognize that respectful disagreement is not flaming. Every subscriber must be respected; no subscriber should be ridiculed or belittled.

In no event should anyone send an e-mail that might be construed to contain disparaging comments regarding another person or company, or that might compromise the integrity of others.

INVITATION TO SOCIAL NETWORKS
Do not use the Email List to invite the entire list to join your social network (Facebook, Myspace, Linkedin, etc). You may invite individuals to join your network but may not invite the entire list.

PROMOTION/SOLICITATION
The MSBA provides all sections and committees with Email Lists to assist members in sharing information, ideas and resources.

The MSBA reserves the right to restrict promotion of products, services and programs not specifically endorsed by the MSBA. Only MSBA staff are authorized to post information about various MSBA programs, services and activities.

Only MSBA sponsored CLE are to be promoted or advertised on the Email Lists.

The MSBA does not provide e-mail addresses to outside vendors.

Any Job Postings should be sent to the Legal Career Center. 

RESPONDING TO POSTS
If you hit Reply most lists are programmed to send the reply only to the person who sent the message and NOT the entire list. If you wish to send the reply to the entire list, please hit Reply to All.

Several Lists are set configured to send replies back to the list. These lists will have "List Type: Reply To List" in the footer of Email List messages. In this case hitting the Reply button will send your message back to the entire list and to contact only the original author you will need to create a new message for forward the message back to them.

If you are responding to a post on a Email List, trim some of the original message. Avoid sending a reply that just says “Me, too” or some other short response. Keep messages short and to the point. If you are going to post a long reply or in some cases, a long rant, please indicate that in the subject header. Subject: Expert Witnesses - Long Reply.

SHOUTING/EMPHASIS
Emails written in all caps are interpreted as “SHOUTING”. Use upper/lower case type in your posts. (Spell check doesn’t hurt either <g>!) The use of a row of symbols such as *&!@*^& denotes cursing and should not be included in your posts.

SIGNATURES [UPDATED]
Email Signatures are required for all members of the MSBA discussion Email Lists. Anyone not using an email  signature will be will be notified and giving one week to add an email signature before being removed from the list.
You should “sign” each email with at least your full name, firm and telephone number. Autosignatures make this an automatic process. If you use an autosignature, you should keep its length to under 6 - 8 lines. Do not attach your vcard as part of your autosignature, as viruses can attach themselves to vcards or may be interpreted as an attachment and blocked.

SUBJECT LINES
Use a subject that adequately introduces the topic of your message, so people can quickly determine whether or not they will find it of interest. If you are changing the topic of a previous post you respond to, you should change the subject line of the post.

Do not send messages without a topic in the Subject box.

SUBSCRIBING TO THE Email List
One must first be a MEMBER of the Email List in order to post, and receive replies. In order to join a particular open Email List, go to http://www.msba.org/sec_comm/lists/index.htm. You may subscribe to as many of the open Email Lists as you wish but you must subscribe to each one separately. Once you have subscribed you may post and receive messages.

TECHNICAL ISSUES
If you believe that there is a technical problem with the Email List, do not post to the Email List. Send a private post to MSBA web coordinator, John Anderson at janderson@msba.org.

UNSUBSCRIBING TO THE EMAIL LIST
At the bottom of all e-mail messages from the Email Lists is the ability to unsubscribe. You may unsubscribe at any time. You may also send a blank email to leave-listname@lists.msba.org or send an email to janderson@msba.org with your name, email address used on the Email List and the Email List name.

VIRUS SCANNING
Viruses are destructive, both in terms of the damage they can do to computers, and in terms of lost billable time trying to get one’s computer back up and running. For this reason, participants of Email Lists have an extra responsibility to their fellow attorneys to employ a virus detection package, and to regularly update the virus definitions, so it continues to provide adequate protection.

If you discover you have a virus on your computer, you should immediately contact John Anderson by telephone at 800-492-1964, ext 3036 and ask him to post a warning not to open any emails with attachments sent under your name.