"My computer ate my homework" is not a good excuse -- UPDATED

As readers of this blog know, the Model Rules of Professional Responsibility and now more than half the states, consider part of the duty of competence a duty to understand "technology" used in the practice of law.  (Go here for my most recent post on this.)  This means not only that lawyers should understand how the technology works but also how to use it properly.

So, what happens if the clerk of courts e-mails you an order, but your spam filter catches the e-mail and then deletes it after 30 days without alerting you, and you therefore fail to appeal the order in time?  You may be in trouble, that's what.

The Law For Lawyers Today discusses the issue here.

UPDATE:  Vermont's bar counsel, Michael Kennedy, picked up the story and added another good one.  In this new one a lawyer sent an email to a client asking whether the client wanted to file an appeal in a matter the court had decided against the client.  The e-mail never left the lawyer's computer system and, eventually, the client lost the right to file the appeal.   Lesson learned:  go "old school" and pick up the phone!