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H
igh-profile security breaches and
tougher laws and regulations
governing data protection and
data privacy have led to heightened client
awareness of the risks associated with poorly
managed information.
Law firms now face more client scrutiny
of their information governance policies
and procedures than ever before. RFPs from
clients and prospects are requiring detailed
information on how firms manage and apply
IG, while clients' outside counsel guidelines
are making very specific demands regarding
records retention.
"RFPs come in to our IT security team.
There are usually questions about how
the records department is run, how we
manage compliance, proof of policies and
procedures and how we manage retention,
destruction and chain of custody . . . As a
result, the role of records management has
become more prominent. The attorneys,
risk and general counsel all value what
we do now. Similarly, the CIO and the
security team also value our input and
are trying to ensure that we're more
integrated with security."
— John Churchill, Records
Department Manager, Nelson
Mullins
Audits to assess how firms are enforcing
these requirements are also happening more
frequently, causing a significant strain on
internal resources. Clients requesting copies
of their files can also cause a significant strain
on firm resources, particularly if the firm does
not have the right systems and processes in
place to quickly gather and review the relevant
records prior to release back to the client.
Is your firm making the most of
technolo to manage client-specific IG
and retention requirements? The challenge
that most firms now face is significant,
particularly if their own IG policies and
programs need to be brought up to date.
Outside Counsel
Guidelines and
Client Retention
Requirements
B Y D A R R E L L M E R VA U
The Information Governance Opportunity
