[blindlaw] Reading confidential documents with Aira?

[Tai Tomasi]

James and all:

Aira has nondisclosure and confidentiality terms in their terms of service. The retainer I have clients sign stresses that their documents may be reviewed by non-attorney agents of my firm. I use Aira to read documents in confidential client matters. Before reading the documents, I ask the agent to stop recording my call. They have always agreed to do so. I continue to urge Aira to allow the user to discontinue recording so that we have confirmation that the call is no longer being recorded. I would prefer a way to verify this for myself. I then ask them to issue me a Zoom meeting ID which I type into Zoom. The agent and I are then entered into a Zoom meeting. Zoom allows you to share a window or your entire screen with the Aira agent. I limit the agent's access to only the window I specify and grant them control to use the mouse to scroll through the document as they read. 

Because video recording has been stopped and I have not sent documents to an Aira agent via email, the documents remain property of my firm. Therefore, Aira does not retain these materials. While the agent reads, I can also open a notepad document in which the agent or I can write notes about the document we are reviewing. My employer was satisfied with these safeguards, and I feel I am complying with my state's rules of professional conduct. I continue to urge firms to execute agency agreements with Aira, similar to those one would execute with a firm that provides language interpretation. I would like to see the National Association of Blind Lawyers and Aira collaborate to develop a model for such an agreement.