Should lawyers care about the metaverse? Maybe not. But you must absolutely understand what it is and how it works. Why? Because the duty of technological competence so requires.

If you are a lawyer, you have an ethical obligation to maintain competence, including the requirement to keep abreast of technological changes. In 2012, the US bar associations began adding comments to their ethics rules stating that, as part of general competence, lawyers must maintain technological competence. Since then, as legal tech journalist Bob Ambrogi grades40 states have revised their rules to include this obligation.

As part of the duty of technological competence, lawyers must understand the benefits and risks associated with the relevant technology. This requirement…