Legal Question in Legal Ethics in Massachusetts

I'm an IT consultant. One of my company's clients is a law firm. Earlier today, a senior partner at that law firm asked me into his office and asked me to close the door. He told me he had a client who is under investigation and wants to get rid of some emails from his server. This attorney asked me if that is something I could do. I said "no, I won't do that" and he said "o.k." I'm wondering if I have a legal obligation to report the incident and what if any legal exposure I have because of this.


Asked on 4/02/10, 7:12 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Craig J. Tiedemann Kajko, Weisman & Colasanti, LLP

Unless the attorney disclosed to you that he sought to delete the information to obstruct justice or for some other clearly wrongful purpose, I see no reason whatsoever why you would need to disclose this to anybody. Nor can I imagine why you are concerned about facing legal exposure related to this.

I see nothing wrong with the attorney's requeston its face, and in and of itself. He was apparently motivated by his desire to best position his client. It is not for you to judge what the lawyer intended to delete or why. Indeed, it is entirely possible he was ethically required to delete certain information to protect his client. Its his job to determine how to protect his client; not yours.

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Answered on 4/08/10, 8:21 am


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