Tech Competence

I spent last Friday with the good people of the Monroe County Bar Association in Rochester, N.Y. at their second-annual Solo and Small Firm Conference. From speaking with and listening to lawyers there, I was reminded of how far we still have to go in getting lawyers up to speed on technology. But it was also…

A big space just got filled in on my map of the states that have adopted the ethical duty of technology competence for lawyers, as Texas becomes the 36th state to do so.

On Feb. 26, 2019, the Supreme Court of Texas entered an order amending Paragraph 8 of Rule 1.01 of the…

I’m adding another to my list of states that have adopted the duty of technology competence for lawyers, although this state has done it in a somewhat different way.

Louisiana has amended its Code of Professionalism for lawyers to add two provisions related to lawyers’ use of social media. The two provisions related…

In my continuing quest to track the states that have adopted the duty of technology competence for lawyers, I have learned of two more that should be on the list, bringing the total to 34.

The new additions to the list are Alaska and Montana. Both adopted the rule some time ago, but I…

North Carolina has become the second state to mandate continuing education for lawyers in technology. Beginning in 2019, all lawyers will be required to complete one hour per year of CLE devoted to technology training.

In 2016, Florida became the first state to mandate technology training for lawyers, when it adopted a rule requiring…

Another state has adopted the ethical duty of technology competence for lawyers, bringing the total that have done so to 32.

Related: Full list of states that have adopted the duty of technology competence.

This week, the Vermont Supreme Court ordered amendments to the comments to Rule 1.1 of the Vermont Rules of…

Since 2015, I have been tracking the states that have adopted the duty of technology competence for lawyers. I have been doing that by updating a now three-year-old blog post. The post has become messy and unwieldy.

To clean it up, I’ve created a new page where I will continue to track adoption. The new…

In 2016, Florida became the first state to mandate technology training for lawyers, when it adopted a rule requiring lawyers to complete three hours of CLE every three years “in approved technology programs.”

So far, no other state has followed suit. But now one has moved a giant step closer to following in Florida’s footsteps.…

My post yesterday about Kentucky having adopted the duty of technology competence brought an email alerting me that Indiana had also adopted the duty, bringing the total to 31. The complete list of states that have adopted this duty can be found here.

A hat tip to William C. Wagner,…

Just a week ago, I reported on the 29th state to have adopted the duty of technology competence, as part of my ongoing tally of states, and now there is the 30th to add: Kentucky.

The duty took effect on Jan. 1, 2018, having been adopted by the Supreme Court of Kentucky on…

As I continue my effort to keep a tally of the states that have adopted the duty of technology competence. I’ve just learned, belatedly, of another.

On Sept. 26, 2017, the Supreme Court of Missouri adopted the amendment.  It amends Rule 4-1.1 of Missouri’s Rules of Professional Conduct by revising Comment 6, Maintaining Competence, to be in…

I’ve written any number of posts about the duty of technology competence under ABA Model Rule 1.1, Comment 8, and I’ve been tracking its adoption by the states. But one aspect of this duty that does not get as much attention is how lawyers can get and remain technologically competent.

There have been several…