Rules · Professional
What do professional rules ask a firm to do about client data security?
Lawyers, tax preparers and financial firms answer to rules of their own about protecting client information.
Last read from the sources at the foot of this page.
01
Which rules do these pages read?
One rule a page, each quoted from its own text with the date we read it.
- ABA Formal Opinion 477R: securing client communications
- ABA Formal Opinion 512: lawyers and AI tools
- ABA Model Rule 1.6(c): safeguarding client information
- Law Society of British Columbia: technology and records
- Law Society of Ontario: technology competence
- FTC Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR Part 314
- HIPAA Security Rule, 45 CFR 164 Subpart C
- IRS Publication 4557: safeguarding taxpayer data
- SEC Regulation S-P: safeguarding customer information
02
Is this legal advice?
No. This summarises the public text; it is not legal advice.
Sources
Where does this come from?
- ABA, Formal Ethics Opinion 477R: Securing Communication of Protected Client Informationamericanbar.orgRead 15 October 2026
- ABA News, ABA issues first ethics guidance on a lawyer's use of AI tools (July 29, 2024)americanbar.orgRead 15 October 2026
- ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of Informationamericanbar.orgRead 15 October 2026
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