In the business world, we send a lot of emails. More than 40,000 a year, according to a study by the Radicati Group. But as Felicia Harris Kyle of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP points out in an online exclusive article in Risk Management, this reliance on email is not without its risks, particularly when it comes to the legal threats it creates.

As email and text-messaging increasingly become the primary forms of communication, the continued widespread use of email and texting in the corporate setting creates a whole host of interesting issues for companies and their lawyers. In litigation, for example, emails are an important component of discovery and often contain the proverbial “smoking gun.” The best defense is a good offense, which starts with a thoughtful analysis of the threats, backed by sound policies and practices that may ensure the proper use, retention and handling of emails and other electronically stored information.

Among the topics she discusses are information retention policies, the effect of litigation hold notices, how to avoid sanctions and the usefulness of forensic reviews. So don’t miss this informative article, only on RMmagazine.com.