In reading about a recent highly publicized data breach, I began to think about basic competency issues involving data security. That led me to ponder basic technology competence of attorneys, which brought to mind the following true story:
A couple of years ago, I asked an attorney to email me a copy of a document that was needed in the case. The attorney’s response was that his legal assistant was out of the office and he didn’t know how to use a scanner, so he would have to send it to me later. Yikes.
If you don’t know how to use a scanner, can’t file something in ECF without help, and don’t know how your clients’ confidences are being protected on your computer system, you need to read this article, “You Already Have an Ethical Obligation to be Technologically Competent.”
The article has hyperlinks to other informative articles and offers a download of a “Basic Technology Competence Checklist” for attorneys. It’s worth a look.