Law firms capture, log, and archive every email, document, and billing increment. The goal is clear: reduce risk, maintain defensibility, and uphold client trust.
So why – despite its central role in high-stakes matters – are voice calls often unlogged and ungoverned? Because it’s been inconvenient, uncomfortable, and – until recently – ignorable.
Firms have long left voice calls outside the scope of formal governance. There’s cultural resistance: voice is seen as informal, private, or beyond the reach of compliance. There’s fear of what might be uncovered if calls were reviewable. And, unlike email archiving or document retention, regulators haven’t made voice recording an explicit requirement. Yet.
But regulators, courts, and clients expect firms to demonstrate control of communications. All communications. E-discovery and litigation vendors have added voice ingestion capabilities. Standards are shifting.
Firms that ignore this shift won’t simply be left behind – they’ll be left exposed.