(June 17, 2010) – Reed Smith LLP, one of the 15 largest law firms in the world, today announced a Cloud Computing Initiative, its cross-practice, multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional approach to highlighting and addressing for global businesses the potentially challenging legal considerations and issues associated with cloud computing.
The Initiative includes Reed Smith’s creation of a broad, firmwide Cloud Computing Task Force and the publication of Transcending the Cloud: A Legal Guide to the Risks and Rewards of Cloud Computing, a series contributed by Task Force members featuring white papers and case studies on distinctive and important aspects of cloud computing.
“The move by companies around the world to increasingly have their computing functions housed in a cloud gives rise to new and diverse legal risks, rewards, challenges and opportunities,” said Joseph I. ("Joe") Rosenbaum, Reed Smith’s Advertising Technology & Media Law Practice Chair, who is heading up the Initiative. “This is our firm’s way of communicating both our thought leadership in this area, as well as highlighting the practical legal implications of cloud computing. Our Task Force will dynamically provide insights and approaches by which these issues can best be anticipated, addressed and resolved as this new business model evolves and becomes more prominent.”
According to Rosenbaum, the Task Force and Transcending the Cloud series seek to comprehensively identify, review and provide informed, thoroughly researched public discourse about the legal considerations associated with multiple and diverse aspects of cloud computing -- insurance, taxation, liability, contracts, e-discovery, anti-trust, international perspectives and more – that are likely to be relevant in the adoption of a cloud computing paradigm by the business community. The first three papers in the series, released today, affirm Reed Smith’s practical, pragmatic focus and the Task Force’s emphasis on providing meaningful, thoughtful legal advice to global businesses.
- Cloud Computing – The Key Risks and Rewards for Federal Government Contractors by Lorraine Mullings Campos , Stephanie E. Giese and Joelle E.K. Laszlo, examines the legal issues of both assisting federal agencies in implementing clouds, and in employing cloud service providers to perform federal government contracts.
- Pennies From Heaven – A discussion of state tax implications within cloud computing by Michael Jacobs and Kelley C. Miller anticipates the rise of new tax questions regarding how states will impose and collect sales taxes on digital transactions originating in the clouds;
- When the Cloud Bursts: SLAs and other umbrellas by Rauer Meyer covers the emergence of new benefits, risks and concerns associated with service level agreements (or SLAs) between cloud computing vendors and their business customers.
The Task Force also will begin releasing case studies aligned with the various white papers, and additional white papers and case studies, over the course of the coming year and beyond. All of the individual white papers and case studies, as well as a dynamically updated compendium of those released to date, are and will be available online from the Reed Smith website, www.reedsmith.com, and from the firm’s technology law blog, Legal Bytes, which is edited and published by Mr. Rosenbaum.
“As cloud computing becomes ubiquitous, there will be shifting and often unique legal and regulatory challenges, as well as fundamentally altered business, economic and operational relationships between technology providers and business enterprises, between business enterprises and customers, between suppliers and business enterprises, and even internally within business enterprises themselves,” said Adam Snukal, Senior Associate and contributing editor to the Initiative’s efforts, “and companies will need to take a multi-disciplinary approach to keep ahead of this wave.” Rosenbaum added, “Reed Smith’s new cloud computing resources, experience and depth across substantive legal topics and jurisdictions aim to help businesses prepare for the shifts, weather the challenges, better understand and allocate the new risks and exploit new opportunities.”
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with nearly 1,600 lawyers in 22 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy trade and commodities, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
U.S.: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Oakland, Princeton, Northern Virginia, Wilmington, Silicon Valley, Century City, Richmond
Europe: London, Paris, Munich, Greece
Middle East: Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Asia: Hong Kong, Beijing