The SOX-HIPPA Impact on the Legal System: A Case Study of a Law Firm

摘要

Ongoing research was conduced on the impact of technology on a law firm handling tort (civil) cases in the U.S. legal system. The firm used in the study is heavily involved in mass tort litigation and was the subject of a study previously reported at the IRMA 2005 International Conference [1]. The current research is the third of several planned studies on individual law firms and the legal system usage of technology. Specifically this segment of the research is to determine the potential implications of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) of 1996 regarding a law firm ensuring a security repository database for confidential client information that is subject to the sections of these two acts. All professional firms, especially law firms, have a legal and ethical obligation to protect clients' interests including documents. Both acts have increased the work (data) flow of professional firms due to increased need for the documentation of singed permission by individuals to access "sensitive" data from every source.