Responsibilities
- Confidentiality: control who can see client and firm information and how it is shared.
- Privacy: know what personal information is held, why, where, who receives it and what happens over time.
- Access: give people the access they need and remove it when no longer needed.
- Continuity: plan to continue working and recover important information when systems fail.
- Secure communication: use transfer methods appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
- Vendors: know the important outside providers and their role in handling information.
- Incident response: help staff know what to do and who to contact.
- Digital workflow: make important processes repeatable and visible.
Tools, procedures and people
A practice-management system such as Clio, ParaMaître or JurisÉvolution supports matters, contacts, billing, documents and calendars, depending on the platform.
Microsoft 365 can support email, calendars, files, identity, access and device security depending on licensing and configuration.
Procedures for privacy, incidents, continuity, access removal and retention need named owners. Partners, staff and outside providers need clear responsibilities.
Buying tools does not automatically create the practice. The responsibilities, people, workflows and systems have to work together. These explanations are educational and do not certify compliance.