Relating to access to the crime laboratory portal.

Contracts

• Retainer Agreements: Update engagement letters to explicitly state that the Firm is the sole authorized custodian for Crime Lab Portal access.
• Withdrawal Protocols: Revise off-boarding procedures. Upon termination of representation, you must formally revoke your portal designation for that specific case to allow successor counsel to register. You cannot simply transfer login credentials to the client.

Hiring/Training

• Staff Delegation: Train paralegals and support staff that portal access cannot be delegated to clients. Any "self-service" discovery workflows involving the portal must be terminated for new cases.
• Security Protocols: As the sole gatekeeper, the attorney's login credentials are now a higher-value target. Enforce multi-factor authentication and strict access logs for staff using attorney credentials.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Digital Chain of Custody: Implement a logging system to prove that lab reports downloaded from the portal were delivered to the client. Since the client cannot verify the portal contents themselves, your transmission log is your only defense against claims of failure to communicate discovery.
• Legacy Case Segregation: Maintain a clear distinction in your case management system between pre-Sept 1, 2025 cases (where clients may still have access) and post-Sept 1, 2025 cases (where they do not).

Fees & Costs

• Administrative Overhead: No statutory fee changes. However, firms should budget for increased administrative time required to download and securely transmit large forensic files that clients previously accessed independently.