Disaster Plans

In a recent survey conducted by the Association of Legal Administrators, 54% of the responding law firms indicated they had a disaster recovery plan.

There was no definition in the report as to how extensive the "plan" is. There was no inquiry as to whether the plan was tested or, if so, the nature of the results of the test.

One of my clients prepared an extensive disaster recovery plan. Then they tested the plan by going off-site and creating a hypothetical disaster, including taking some of the firm leaders "out" as a consequence of the imagined disaster. The results of the test were disappointing, necessitating a return to the drawing board.  After appropriate changes were made, another test was conducted with greater success. Periodically, they continue to test and improve the plan.

Like a good insurance policy, one hopes that the plan will never have to be implemented.

Categorized in: Management