Geek vs. Geek-Attorneys vs. Information Management Consultants

by Cary J. Calderone, © 2013

What laws control this data?

This is the second Geek vs. Geek post.  Here we pit lawyers (L-Geeks) against information management consultants (I-geeks).  On the one hand, your attorney is legally obligated to protect your communications (attorney-client privilege) and provide you with advice and documentation applicable to your facts and the specific laws as they apply to your legal matter (attorney work product) in accordance with accepted professional standards.  On the other hand, I-Geeks, unless they are your employees, are typically not bound by professional conduct standards, conflict of interest rules, or even protecting your privileged information.  Outside consultant I-Geeks (it is very rare for an inside I-Geek to bypass internal legal review and protocols) may sign a confidentiality agreement for you, but I have never seen a consulting group operate with safeguards and procedures that were even remotely similar to those employed by L-Geeks.  Why is this?  Does it matter?

Yahoo Limits Telecommuting-Is It Legal? Is It Smart?

© 2013 By Cary J. Calderone, Esquire

It doesn't look scary. Or, does it?

It seems Marissa Mayer has created a firestorm.  Everybody is weighing in on Yahoo's new policy eliminating telecommuting.  Some are for it.  Many are against it.  But, no commentator has addressed the most important and fundamental issues for considering a major organizational change.  "What are they doing now and why?"  Whether it has been legal advising or Information Management consulting, I have worked with groups and before I would ever consider making a recommendation for a change, I find out what they are currently doing, and why.   In the case of Yahoo, I'd like to know how many people currently telecommute?  Do they video conference? How often do they make it to the office for face-to-face meetings?  Without knowing the answers to these important questions,  it would be ridiculous to criticize the move.  Moreover, just as any experienced attorney or consultant could, I recognize many reasons why this may be a very smart move.