Records Retention Summary
Upon termination or completion of an engagement, you may request a copy of the contents of your client file. For purposes of the engagement, the client file does not include administrative records; time, billing, or expense records; personnel or staffing materials; credit and accounting records; or internal attorney work product prepared by or for the internal use of Rhoades McKee, including but not limited to drafts, notes, internal memoranda, electronic mail, and legal or factual research (including investigative and due diligence materials). Rhoades McKee may, in its discretion, charge reasonable fees for search, review and production of file materials in accordance with the rules of professional conduct and opinions of the State Bar of Michigan.
Consistent with Rhoades McKee’s Retention Policy, all original documents and other tangible property belonging to you that are received in connection with an engagement will be returned to you upon closure of the file, without further request or action required on your part. Upon file closure, the remaining contents of the client file, including copies of any returned original documents, will be converted to electronic format and retained for a period of seven (7) years, unless Rhoades McKee determines, in its sole discretion, that a longer retention period is appropriate or required. Following conversion to electronic format, all paper documents will be destroyed. At the end of the applicable retention period, the electronic records will be permanently deleted without further notice to you.
Use of Technology
To facilitate our services, we may communicate by email, send data over the Internet, store electronic data via computer software applications and storage services hosted remotely on the Internet, allow access to data through third-party vendors’ secured portals or hosted services, and use artificial intelligence (“AI”) technology. Electronic data that is confidential to you may be transmitted or stored using these methods. We may use third-party service providers to store or transmit this data. Rhoades McKee employs measures designed to maintain data security when using these data communication, storage, and processing methods, including using private environments which do not jeopardize attorney-client privilege or use our or your data to train public AI models. Notwithstanding the use of AI, all work product generated with the assistance of such technology will be reviewed and verified by a licensed attorney. We take every precaution to secure communications and access to data, following our obligations under applicable laws, professional standards, and rules governing our professional conduct, and we choose service providers who do the same. If Client prefers to limit such transmission to information that is not highly confidential, to seek more secure means of communication for highly confidential information, or to opt out of the use of AI, please inform Rhoades McKee of such request.
