Corporate Compliance

We bring structure to chaos.

In these times of seemingly infinite electronic information data sources sometimes referred to as the digital haystack, the Howett Isaza Law Group guides companies on properly establishing legally compliant and defensible information governance, records and information management (RIM), and e-discovery preparedness. Emphasis is placed on consistently following RIM policy so that firms are not only in compliance, but also in a highly defensible position in the event litigation arises.

Areas covered in a typical consulting engagement include:

• Develop process-based or big bucket records retention schedules
• GARP® compliance assessments and audits of systems for accountability, transparency, integrity, protection, compliance, availability, retention, and disposition
• Research and maintain domestic or international legal and regulatory records retention requirements
• Presentations and advocacy of RIM programs to senior management
• Needs assessments and RFPs for technology needed to develop comprehensive RIM and E-Discovery preparedness programs
• Identification of risk areas arising from current electronic data and other RIM practices
• Legal opinions regarding going paperless, records or information destruction, backup policies and triggering events for legal holds
• Create or improve policies for records retention either in the clouds or on the servers such as e-mail, instant messaging and other electronic communications
• Create or simplify the records retention schedule and electronic file plan to work with electronic records, including taxonomy development
• Privacy protection retention requirements, including foreign or international standards or guidelines
• Strategize for legal holds and electronic document preservation in the event of litigation
• Training program development, design, implementation and delivery for effective records and information compliance
• Develop and implement processes for data preservation orders, litigation holds or legal holds
• E-discovery and RIM Expert witness services on any of the above topics

Since the turn of the millennium, our founding partner, John Isaza, has done work for some of the most highly regulated industries on many of the above types of engagements, including the oil and gas industry, financial sector, domestic and foreign government entities, foreign companies, technology sector, insurance services, food and entertainment industry, manufacturing, automotive, and the legal services sector.