Should lawyers in the same firm have access to each others emails?

EQ Admin

EQ Forum Admin
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I recently asked a lawyer if they should have access to each others email within the firm.

I also asked if it matters if it's the owner/partner that needs the access, and if the situation matters such as day to day business vs. one of the lawyers "getting hit by a bus".

What about an I.T. guy that might have access to their email username and password?

This was their response:

It's completely dependent upon the ethics rules governing these communications and the requirements of the malpractice carrier.

Having said that, I would hope there was a written policy that all firm emails accounts are firm property and are subject to monitoring subject to client confidentiality, ethics and Chinese walls.

A Chinese wall is when a partner must be kept from access to certain case files to avoid a conflict of interest.
 
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