Digital Lawyer: What Sort of Digital Legacy Will You Leave Behind?

Are you building a Digital Legacy? Will you leave a Digital Legacy that outlives your Real World life?

We're all going to die someday. We've all strapped into the ride of Human Life and whether we want to accept it or not death is at the end of that road. Even so death is still a difficult subject for all of us. It's the perennial taboo. We simply don't talk about it, even though we know that one day, it will come upon us.

But with the legal community being as they are, with their structure, tradition, will-writing and all that, I think I'd be right in saying that we're a little more aware of our own fragility under the knowledge of the inevitability of death. An enhanced sense of humanity because of the issues that we deal with day in day out.

In light of that, I want to ask: what sort of Digital Legacy will you leave? In 20, 30, 40, 70 years from now, when you've passed away, what sort of Digital Footprint will you have left in the world, both Real and Digital?

This is a question I asked myself as I listened to Episode 7, Season 2 of BBC Radio 4's Digital Human. You can listen here. So are you online? Are you listening, engaging, talking and driving conversation? Are you making an impact and influencing? Are you responsive to Digital changes and following the curve? Are you looking to the future and think about how you will change and contribute to Digital's New World?

These are questions we all need to ask ourselves. Already having a strong digital identity has huge personal and professional potency. This reality will only grow as will the Digital Creep we're all experiencing. So as Digital continues to advance into every facet of our life will you move forward and build a Digital Legacy? Or will you ignore the Digital World and resolve do the easy thing and stick within the safety and certainty of the Real World?

I know I'm not going to stick with the normal - I'm re-imagining law and venturing out into the high seas of the Digital World to build my Digital Legacy.