Corporate Counsel Quotes Estela Díaz on Remote Work Responsibilities for Lawyers
Contact:
Akin Gump litigation partner Estela Díaz was quoted by Corporate Counsel for its article “‘That's What I'm Missing’: In-House Leaders Discuss Navigating Remote Work.”
The article reports participants’ comments and insights from this week’s “The In-House Lawyer Working Remotely: Ethical & Practical Considerations” panel.
Díaz noted that the American Bar Association in early 2021 had issued an overview of the rules of professional conduct most impacted by remote practice. She noted two rules—the duty of competence and the duty of diligence—that require lawyers to represent clients competently, engage in continuing legal education, and keep abreast of the benefits and risks associated with the technology that lawyers use in serving clients.
She said that these rules have been interpreted to require practitioners to educate themselves about the technology that they are using in remote work to store client data and other confidential work-related information, as well as to require them to work with their IT teams to defend against cyberattacks.