Join us today from 2 - 3 p.m. Central for a free CLE. This Lexis Vendor Visit entitled, The Contemporary Yellow Pages: Ethics of Online Profiles and Advertising, will be a 60 minute look at how the Internet has transformed the way we interact with friends, colleagues and potential clients. Texas attorneys can ear 1 hour of Ethics CLE credit. Click HERE to register.
Read moreLatest & Greatest – The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook: A Resource for Attorneys, Law Firms, and Business Professionals
Edited by Jill D. Rhodes and Robert S. Litt
Published by American Bar Association. Cybersecurity Legal Task Force.
KF 318 .A7518 2017
Photo Credit: Helen Hartman
The Law Library’s newest addition to its Legal Tech Collection is The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook. Sponsored by the ABA’s Cybersecurity Legal Task Force, The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook strives to provide attorneys and business professionals with an overview of the many aspects of cybersecurity and some practical considerations in the event of a cyber breach.
The book begins with some background for aid in understanding a cybersecurity threat and its attendant risks. The writers provide examples of the most common threats and how law firms can address them. There is also an explanation of the cyber network, its organization, and potential threats, and how defensive systems work and respond to perceived threats. There is a discussion of the lawyer’s obligation to provide data security under the ethics rules and ABA formal opinion 477R and some advice as to when the lawyer should discuss the issue of cybersecurity with her client. The book concludes with some best practices for becoming prepared through international business community management system series of standards and the international information security management system series of standards. The authors also address the cyber-related challenges faced by large law firms, solo practitioners and small firms, in-house counsel, government lawyers, and public interest attorneys.
No one is immune from the increasing number of cyber threats and breaches and the confidential data that can be targeted in these attacks. The cost of being prepared is minimal compare to the cost of corrupted data and loss of trust. The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook can help you become better prepared.
Other titles on this topic include: Encryption Made Simple for Lawyers, Locked Down: Practical Information Security for Lawyers, and Technology Tips for Lawyers and Other Business Professionals.
LTI CLE: Legal Tech is Not Optional
The Harris County Law Library’s Legal Tech Institute is pleased to announce a special visitor, D. Casey Flaherty, a recognized leader in legal tech innovation and the creator of the Procertas legal tech audit. Please join us on Monday, August 19 and 11:00 am for a CLE presentation called Legal Tech is not optional. Mr. Flaherty will share his insights about using technology in the practice of law and will highlight how the Procertas Legal Tech Assessment, which is available to all for free at the Harris County Law Library, can help attorneys work toward legal tech competence. Texas attorneys will earn one hour of CLE credit and .5 hours of ethics credit for attending. Join us!
Get Courts-Compliant with the Legal Tech Institute
With the recent election of 59 new judges in Harris County (civil, criminal, family, probate, and juvenile courts combined), notable changes in court policies and procedures have taken shape. As one would expect, each of the recently elected judges in Harris County has implemented specific rules for conducting business in his or her particular court. As a guide to understanding and meeting their new requirements, some judges have provided updated links to forms online; others have posted checklists of required documents; and several others are providing supplementary links specifically for self-represented litigants, including to the Harris County Law Library’s community resource guide, the Pro Se Litigants Handbook. The Harris County Law Library has been keeping abreast of and adapting to these changes in order to best serve our public patrons. We are also, as always, paying attention to any changes at the state level.
In late February, just shortly after the new Harris County judges were sworn in, statewide change was indeed taking place. Namely, the Supreme Court of Texas issued an order amending Paragraph 8 of the comment to Rule 1.01 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, which now says that Texas lawyers must be aware of the benefits and risks of using technology in the practice of law. By adopting this standard, Texas joined 35 other states who agree that technologically proficient lawyers provide better, more efficient client representation.
Certain local court rules also require specific procedures that rely on technology. For instance, Judge Janice Berg, who presides over the 247th Family Court in Harris County, has included the following in her Court Policies and Procedures:
At final trial on divorce matters, parties must bring their proposed property division to trial in Excel or Google Sheets format on a USB drive.
Complying with the ethical standard and local rules may require both access and training on specific hardware and software. If it seems daunting, the Harris County Law Library is here to help! Our 25 public access computers have the software you need (including Excel) to draft and assemble all your legal documents. And, our Hands-on Legal Tech Training courses, which we offer, on rotation, every Thursday at 2pm, will give you the knowledge and skills (and one free hour of CLE credit for Texas attorneys) to use that software and easily meet the requirements of the courts. In January, we introduced five new classes, including a popular new offering, Microsoft Excel for Legal Work. It will be presented again soon on May 16. Don’t miss it!
For a detailed description of all our weekly classes, see the 2019 Legal Tech Institute Course Catalog. Classes always begin with a Getting Started portion. They gradually increase in difficulty until we Level Up. We then Go Pro, giving you an opportunity to build proficiency as the course progresses. We attempt to address every skill level in an effort to meet the needs of all attendees, and we’re always happy to answer any questions you may have about using tech tools and resources to strengthen your legal practice.
Texas Supreme Court Requires Attorneys To Know Legal Tech
On February 26, 2019, the Texas Supreme Court took an important step in the advancement of legal ethics in Texas by amending Paragraph 8 of the comment to Rule 1.01 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. The rule, which addresses the duty of all Texas attorneys to be competent and conscientious in providing effective legal representation, now requires that practitioners also be aware of “the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.”
By adopting this amendment, Texas has joined 35 other states who also require a duty of technology competence for lawyers. The significance of this new development cannot be overstated. By order of the Texas Supreme Court, attorneys must become aware of, if not proficient in, using technology to best serve their clients.
If you are a Texas lawyer who needs to brush up on your tech skills and learn more about recent developments in legal tech, the Harris County Law Library can help! Our Legal Tech Institute offers a variety of learning opportunities including our popular Hands-on Legal Tech Training courses every Thursday afternoon at 2:00 pm in the Law Library’s Legal Tech Lab. We also provide access to free online CLE courses via our On-Demand Learning Opportunities page.
To find out more about what the Harris County Law Library offers through our Legal Tech Institute, visit the LTI page on our website. With so many free learning opportunities at your disposal, it will be easy (and fun!) to comply with the new Texas Supreme Court requirement.
