This article appeared in Cybersecurity Law & Strategy, an ALM publication for privacy and security professionals, Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Corporate Counsel, Internet and Tech Practitioners, In-House Counsel. Visit the website to learn more.
Information governance and the protection of corporate data are top concerns for law firms. To ensure standards are met, some clients are now tying payment to compliance with outside counsel guidelines (OCG). OCG have moved from guidelines to actual contracts that provide for indemnification of the client for cyberbreach and violation of privacy laws, and require firms to explicitly secure the client’s data. 79% of legal departments now provide OCG to their law firms, a 30% increase over 2017, and OCG are overwhelmingly the most effective methodology for legal departments to control spend and mitigate risk, per the 2018 Altman Weil Chief Legal Officer Survey.
