Well, I’m back. It was a fascinating week and as always, I learned something. I didn’t have time to post, but this article about a case involving Principals and Agents caught my eye. At first blush, it may seem like this is for lawyers only, but actually this is just as relevant to those who provide e-discovery services.
Agency and Partnership (as they call the subject in law school) covers the various representative relationships – legal and otherwise – that developed from common law and eventually formed the basis of the business structures we see today. Even though this concept has existed for hundreds of years, California didn’t begin testing the subject until the July 2007 Bar Exam (I was one of the Guinea Pigs).
For our purposes, it’s a great review of the responsibilities between Principals and Agents. The most obvious relationship is lawyer to client, but this also applies to those who provide e-discovery services to clients. The reason I think it’s important is that, with sanctions being a very real possibility in these cases, it’s a good idea to be reminded that this is not a game. What we do – and how we do it – has serious consequences.
