Countless athletic coaches have reminded their players to “act like you’ve been there before” when it comes to scoring, making the big play, or ultimately winning. Displaying class and sportsmanship in victory is important, as is showing grace in defeat. Unfortunately, however, there are plenty of lawyers who could benefit from a refresher course on this, especially when it comes to their social media posts. Basking in the afterglow of a win, or feeling the sting of a loss, lawyers can easily lose sight of how a poorly worded tweet or post can result in reputational damage or even a disciplinary complaint.

Take Wisconsin criminal defense attorney Anthony Cotton, for example. On Sept. 18, 2015, Cotton won an acquittal for his client, Brandon Burnside, on homicide charges. Cotton memorialized the big moment by taking a “victory selfie” with Burnside in the courtroom and posting it on Facebook. The judge didn’t click “like,” and Cotton soon found himself back in court, apologizing and taking down the Facebook post.

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