Law Commons^™

Technology In Legal Practice: Keeping Ethical Obligations In Mind, Teresa J. Verges, Christine Lazaro

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

The use of technology in the legal profession is ubiquitous, expanding, and ever changing. Lawyers connect with their clients, co-workers, and others through email. Cloud computing has allowed lawyers to create virtual and mobile workspaces, providing them with accessibility to client files and resources anywhere in the world. Social media allows lawyers to showcase their expertise and build their practice. Technology has undoubtedly impacted how lawyers provide legal services to their clients. However, as lawyers, we remain subject to long-standing professional and ethical obligations that govern our practice. This article explores how commonly used technology in legal practice implicates …

Cloud Computing, Virtual Law Firms, And The Legal Profession, Dillon Horne

Cornell Law School J.D. Student Research Papers

What does the future hold for cloud computing, virtual law firms, and the legal profession? Like so many answers in the legal field, it depends. The increasing costs of storing ever-increasing amounts of information may force firms to turn to housing data off-site through cloud-based services. New technologies, yet unforeseen, may render the cloud obsolete, replaced by a new form of caching materials. Virtual law firms may be looked back at five years from now as an obsolete fad, or the practice might instead become the new normal. Wherever the legal profession ventures, lawyers must do a better job of …

Red Skies In The Morning—Professional Ethics At The Dawn Of Cloud Computing, Sarah Jane Hughes, Roland L. Trope

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The article evaluates risks to clients’ confidential and privileged information when lawyers or law firms store such information in any cloud computing “space” against the requirements of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the New York Rules of Professional Conduct. It also evaluates pertinent liability provisions of some of the more commonly used cloud computing services (Amazon.com and Google) against the lawyer’s responsibilities. An interesting portion covers the latest thinking from NIST on cloud computing benefits and risks.