GC's Role in Remote Work Legal Issues: Data Governance, Privacy, Automating Documentation, Employee Communication
Course Details
- smart_display Format
On-Demand
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
- work Practice Area
Corporate Law
- event Date
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
90 minutes
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This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.
This CLE course will address the need to effectively manage corporate data while business workforces remain principally in a work-from-home environment. The panel will discuss how to construct a centralized data catalog and how management can effectively work with their teams remotely. The panel will explore the legal issues of securing and communicating data across a company governed by federal, state, and international privacy restrictions, and the role of insurance coverage in breach response preparedness and as part of a cybersecurity and data privacy risk management and mitigation strategy.
Ms. Awotwi served as Assistant General Counsel for Jackson Healthcare and its family of companies for five years, which included doing a great deal of work for LocumTenens.com. When LocumTenens.com realized that it needed legal services dedicated solely to its business, it seemed like a natural fit for her. Ms. Awotwi was pleased to be considered for the position and for the opportunity to work more closely with and solely for LocumTenens.com. Her background includes working at a couple of “Big Law” firms before joining Jackson Healthcare in 2010 and then LocumTenens.com in 2016. She was named as a partner in 2020.
Ms. Doniere practices primarily in the areas of litigation management and information management and governance. In her litigation management practice, she coordinates discovery nationally for a major manufacturer as part of a national product liability discovery team. In this role, she prepares affidavits, drafts and reviews motions and arguments, assists in the negotiation of protective orders and discovery compromises, reviews corporate testimony for confidentiality, and oversees the drafting of discovery responses and the production of discoverable information.
Ms. Leffler serves as Chair of Brouse McDowell’s Insurance Recovery Practice Group. As a member of one of the most experienced insurance coverage groups in the nation, she is successful in compelling insurers to honor their coverage obligations. Ms. Leffler has helped her clients recover amounts ranging from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars, and has assisted in critical amicus efforts to develop and protect the law for the benefit of policyholders. She provides her clients with a specialized claim and litigation approach, designed to help clients efficiently obtain favorable results in all aspects of the process – from claim submission through the resolution of disputes in litigation. Ms. Leffler has extensive experience in numerous types of coverage disputes, including general liability, property and business interruption, construction, directors & officers, cyber, professional liability, asbestos, and environmental liability.
The remote work environment has become prevalent for many organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and general counsel responsibilities have evolved during that time. General counsel trying to run their legal departments from home during the COVID-19 pandemic have faced unique challenges.
One of the major concerns is addressing the data management needs of a company. Internal and external cybersecurity or data breaches are significant potential exposures for all organizations, and remote working conditions can exacerbate the dangers by introducing more variables into the work environment. Adding to the challenges are the fact that legal departments managing trade secrets and confidential client information may have an ethical duty to secure this information from unauthorized and inadvertent exposure. Counsel are well advised to consider what types of solutions best address these situations and establish policies for secure file sharing and data breach response preparedness.
General counsel are also well advised to consider how automation of legal drafting can function as an efficient practice. A contract management system customized to your needs can connect your legal team with the rest of the company. Adopting an automation strategy can reduce the burden on lawyers for guidance on minor matters, allowing them to spend more time on higher-level work.
Responsive communication policies are likewise important and facilitate the fostering of an internal culture of idea-sharing through leadership. Through technology, general counsel can provide the digital workplace a better way to collaborate, communicate, and connect with their team. Counsel are encouraged to work with management to ensure that all employees have the resources they need at home with virtual offices. Staying internally connected is critical for employee satisfaction and corporate success.
Listen as our expert panel discusses the various challenges that general counsel face when directing a primarily remote workforce. The panel will discuss ways to utilize technology to handle data governance, privacy issues and automated documentation and communicate deliberately and clearly, setting realistic expectations.
- Data policies
- Retention
- Data handling
- Trade secrets and confidential information
- Automation of documentation
- Communication with employees
- Insurance considerations
The panel will review these and other important topics:
- How can the GC assist the company in creating a remote-work data policy related to data retention and data handling?
- What considerations should a GC consider when handling trade secrets and confidential information?
- How can a legal department institute an automated documentation system to improve quality and reduce costs to the company?
- What communication policies can GC institute to foster better corporate culture?
- What role can insurance play in breach response preparedness and as part of a cybersecurity and data privacy risk management and mitigation strategy?
