For law firms
Your duty of confidentiality does not end at the server room. Any IT provider you bring in touches client information, so access, contracts and technology have to fit your ethics obligations. We run law firm IT so that your practice management software, email and e-filing work every day and you can show what you did to protect client data.
ABA Model Rule 1.6(c) requires lawyers to make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, client information. Most states have adopted a version of this rule. When an outside IT provider administers your systems, choosing that provider carefully and limiting what it can see is part of those reasonable efforts.
Comment 8 to ABA Model Rule 1.1 says lawyers should keep up with the benefits and risks of relevant technology. You do not have to become an IT expert. You do need someone who can explain the risks in plain language and set up your systems so you can make informed decisions.
Matters, deadlines, time entries and billing live in a practice management system such as Clio or PracticePanther, and documents often sit in a document management system such as NetDocuments or iManage. Logins, permissions, integrations with Microsoft 365 and backups of these systems have to fit together. Otherwise one expired password or broken sync can stop the whole firm.
ABA Formal Opinion 477R says lawyers may generally use the internet to communicate with clients if they make reasonable efforts to protect the information, and that highly sensitive matters can call for stronger measures such as encryption. Remote work is safe when laptops and phones are centrally managed and encrypted and every login requires multi-factor authentication.
What we do not do: legal ethics advice. Whether a measure satisfies your state's rules of professional conduct is decided by your firm, your ethics counsel or your state bar's guidance. We implement the technology to match that decision and document it.
FAQ
Yes, as long as you make reasonable efforts to protect the information. ABA Model Rule 1.6(c) asks lawyers to prevent unauthorized access to client information, and Formal Opinion 477R explains that what is reasonable depends on the sensitivity of the data and the risks. In practice this means a written agreement with confidentiality terms, access limited to what each task requires and a record of administrative access. We provide all three. Your state's version of the rules may differ in detail, so your firm decides what is required.
The ABA does not prescribe specific tools. The comments to Rule 1.6 list factors such as the sensitivity of the information, the likelihood of disclosure without additional safeguards, the cost and difficulty of the safeguards and their effect on your ability to represent clients. For most firms this leads to multi-factor authentication on every account, encrypted devices, current patches, tested backups and a plan for a security incident.
For routine communication, generally yes. ABA Formal Opinion 477R says lawyers may usually transmit client information over the internet if they have made reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized access. For highly sensitive matters, or when a client or the law requires it, stronger measures such as encrypted email or a secure client portal may be needed. We set up both options so your attorneys can choose per matter.
Yes. Many firms do. The cloud vendor is then also a provider you have to select with care, which includes reviewing its security commitments and data location. We help you gather that information, connect the systems to your user accounts with multi-factor authentication and make sure your data can be exported and restored.
We start troubleshooting right away, because your deadline does not move. Most problems come from browsers, PDF tools, scanners, expired passwords or an update on the workstation. If a court system itself is down, the court's own rules decide how a filing is handled, and your attorneys make that call. We document what we found so you can show the court what happened.
With laptops and phones that we manage centrally and encrypt, and with multi-factor authentication on every login. Conditional access lets client files open only on approved devices. If a laptop is lost, we lock and wipe it remotely.
Our plans cost $99, $149 or $219 per user per month. Most law firms choose Standard at $149, because multi-factor authentication, conditional access and documentation are included. A one-time onboarding fee applies, $2,500 for up to 25 users. Microsoft 365 and other licenses are billed at list price without markup.
No. Ongoing managed IT starts at 5 users. For solo practitioners and smaller firms we take on individual projects, such as securing Microsoft 365 or replacing laptops, and bill them by the hour or at a fixed price agreed in advance.
Law firms
Tell us in 20 minutes which practice software, email and e-filing systems you use. Afterwards you will know whether and how we can support you.
