I believe that these phones are government issue and government property for conducting the peoples’ business. As such, they and their contents and the work product they represent, are all the property of the people. Just as the files in your cabinet belong to your employer. Destroying them is clearly an effort to evade accountability and prevent oversight. Speaking as a paperhanger with over 30 years experience, I think they are prosecutable.
Understood. They didn’t steal anything (from what I can see), and as attorneys they would have a compelling interest in maintaining confidentiality anyway. Heck — I’m sure most Freepers would LOVE to know that their attorneys were dumping their phones every few days!