The cloud isn’t just going to transform how attorneys work and compute, it already has. From endless email storage to cloud-based eDiscovery, lawyers are working on the cloud every single day.

So, what is the cloud anyway? (Besides just “someone else’s computer.”) And what do lawyers need to know about it? Here are FindLaw’s top seven cloud-based blog posts to help keep you up to date.

1. The Cloud and Why Lawyers Should Give a Damn

Here’s why “the cloud” is more than just some buzzword techies throw around: the cloud is shaping, and will continue to shape, the way law firms are run and the way lawyers do business. Here’s why you should care.

2. Start Ups Try to Bring eDiscovery to the Cloud

Most eDiscovery remains on the ground, but two new start ups are trying to change that, offering electronic discovery services built to take advantage of the cloud’s scalability, processing power, and lower costs.

3. Two Concerns Over Cloud-Based Software for Lawyers

For all the benefits of the cloud — collaboration, instant back up, massive storage — there are plenty of drawbacks. The first is stability, as cloud technology continues to develop. The second is security, should cloud servers fall prey to hackers.

4. Is It Time for a Law Firm Cloud Computing Security Standard?

Pretty much every ethics opinion on attorney cloud use says the cloud is great, so long as lawyers exercise a “reasonable standard of care” to protect files and ensure the safety of confidential material. Now, the Legal Cloud Computing Association is trying to put together a security doctrine defining that standard.

5. Who Is Liable When the Cloud Is Hacked?

If your documents live on the cloud — really, some server farm out in Nevada, or Finland, or Taiwan — a single databreach could compromise all of your files. So, when that occurs, who’s to blame?

6. Should Anyone Expect Privacy in the Cloud?

Are privacy and online storage incompatible? A paper written by Justice Louis Brandeis way back in 1890 provides some valuable insight.

7. How Cloud Storage and Confidentiality Can Work Together

Don’t worry, despite the security concerns, you actually can use the cloud with confidence — and confidentiality.

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