Law Firm IG In Year : What s in Store by Carolyn Casey

It's hard to believe that it is the eve of our 3rd annual Law Firm Information Governance Symposium! When we started this think tank in 2012 with a steering committee of 5 AmLaw100 firms, we all sensed that the legal industry could use a forum for kibbutzing on what information governance (IG) means inside a law firm - why is it important, how do you build it and what are the benefits? The level of energy and engagement of the core group of about 25 law firms and 6 service providers exceeded our wildest imagination. Since then we've published 5 reports where these incredible leaders offer insights and practical approaches for enterprise-wide IG in law firms. And, formed 4 task forces chartered to draft findings and recommendations for peer review at the 2014 Symposium this week.

This all starts with lawyers' unique professional responsibilities to safeguard client information and to competently provide legal advice. As digital information managed by firms grows, so too have the cracks where information breaches may potentially happen. Take that, and layer in the hippo-size compliance requirements for firms under the 2013 HIPAA Omnibus Rules, cyber-threats and the carousel of partners moving from one firm to another, and you have a hot-bed of governance issues that make managing partners sit up and say, do we have a documented IG program in place?

So we gather together once again, this time in Washington DC, to clear our heads and our calendars to marinate in law firm IG for a few days. Four task forces will share the fruits of their labor on key topics, with final reports to be published in early summer on the following topics:

IG & the New HIPAA Omnibus Rules - Led by Brian McCauley, director of Information Governance at McDermott Will & Emery LLP, this team focused on what law firms need to do to comply with the 2013 Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Omnibus Rule, which expanded the security and protection requirements for organizations that store or access private patient information.

IG & Lawyer/Matter Mobility - Led by Terrence Coan, senior director for HBR Consulting, this team explored the IG ramifications of lawyers, clients and information moving from firm to firm (aka, matter mobility).

IG & eDiscovery - Led by Brian Donato, chief information officer at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP, this team looked at how IG can help properly manage and protect the large volumes of digital information (emails, electronic records, etc.) generated by electronic discovery requests from existing and prior cases.

Emerging IG Trends - Led by Samantha Lofton, director of records information, risk management & practice support at Ice Miller LLP, this team explored two key areas: The skill sets required for emerging law firm IG professionals, and how increasing client demands in outside counsel guidelines impacts law firms' abilities to win business.

I for one can't wait to learn how the task forces recommend tackling some of these timely issues. And there will no doubt be some fun as well - the Symposium has become a reunion for a group of very hard working professionals. So here's to the Symposium's 3rd birthday party, and to all of the wonderful people who make it what it is - a unique platform for solving their industry's IG challenges.

The Law Firm Information Governance Symposium is an industry-led thought leadership platform established by Iron Mountain in 2012. Our momentum continues in 2014, with publication of 4 task force reports and a broad spectrum of participants including records managers, CIOs, risk managers, privacy officers and practice management leaders from across the country. Canadian firms are participating this year as well.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/industry/law-firms/law-firm-ig-in-y...
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