As data sizes grow and corresponding litigation and e-discovery costs continue to rise, more legal departments are turning to cloud computing for its advantages, which include greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness from scalability and lack of infrastructure costs. But with its use comes some concern: Is cloud computing ethically acceptable?

The American Bar Association offers a map of cloud-computing ethics opinions from around the country with opinion summaries to help lawyers make a more informed decision. So far, 19 states have issued opinions finding the cloud acceptable under ethical rules.

The useful resource lists the various states’ specific requirements or recommendations. For example, New York recommends that the lawyer must “investigate vendor security practices and periodically review to be sure they remain up to date.” In California, the lawyer must “consult an expert if lawyer’s technology expertise is lacking.”

LLM, Inc.’s recent white paper can also help inform a lawyer’s decision. It explores cloud computing, privilege and ethics and is available for download.