In this blog we often talk about how the legal industry is it’s own animal. It has it’s own legal accounting requirements, expectations and regulations from both clients and legal governing boards are stricter than in many other industries.
While all of this is true, the legal industry doesn’t differ from other industries in that the growth of technology has had, and will continue to have a major impact on any lawyer or firm that plans on practicing law.
In what may be another great example of the legal industry having strict requirements and regulations in place, that put other industries’ rules to shame- it has even become a requirement that lawyers and law firms in many states are able to display a level of competence when it comes to understanding the risks and benefits of the technology available to them.
Robert Ambrogi currently tracks the states that have adopted The Duty of Technology Competence for lawyers on his blog at lawsitesblog.com. To this point, he has seen 21 states adopt the Ethical Duty of Technology Competence.
The 21 states listed below now require that lawyers and law firms be competent in the technology they use. This requirement comes from the ABA’s Model Rule 1.1 which was amended to read, “To maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology, engage in continuing study and education and comply with all continuing legal education requirements to which the lawyer is subject.”
The 21 States That Have Adopted The Ethical Duty of Technology Competence
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Utah
- Virgina
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
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