Cybersecurity Needs to Play a Major Role for Law Firms

It is no secret that a cybersecurity incident can land the company it impacts in legal trouble. Based on this assumption, we feel safe in asserting that such an outcome could be particularly damaging (not to mention embarrassing) for a law firm to experience. Let’s review some of the ways that a law firm needs to ensure its security, and how we can help.

How Much Risk Does a Law Firm Face?

Quite a bit, as you might imagine. Just consider how much data a law firm may collect. In addition to personally-identifiable information on their clients, there’s a lot of other sensitive data to be had from a law firm. Attorney-client privileged data, trade secrets, business details for mergers and acquisitions, and other intellectual property are all likely to be present on a law firm’s network.

Obviously, losing this data is severe enough, but it can quickly get worse for those in the legal profession. The American Bar Association has its own standards outlined in Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of Information. These standards dictate that lawyers need to “make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, information relating to the representation of a client”.

In other words, there needs to be a cybersecurity plan in place at every legal firm for the staff to follow. A cybersecurity plan consists of multiple protections, designed to give your business the resources it needs to keep your data secure.

Actions a Law Firm Needs to Prioritize for Its IT Security

Creating a Data Security Policy
First and foremost, any legal firm needs to have a comprehensive data security policy in place and actively being followed. Having this plan and educating staff members so that following it is standard practice is a great way to eliminate some of the threats that originate from a user.

Staff Training
On a related note, a law firm’s staff needs to be taught how to avoid the security risks that a law firm would be prone to experience. Whether it’s the processes that your team members need to follow to prevent threats from making it past your defenses or the skills needed to identify a phishing attack, the knowledge to protect your business is critical.

Encryption and Password Requirements
Naturally, it is important that the law firm has every means of protecting its data in place. This goes from the basics, like password requirements, all the way to encrypting all data that is stored. Embracing these safeguards is a critical component of modern security.

Be Discerning About Vendors
While your law firm may uphold its data protections appropriately, it is all for naught if your vendors are lax in their data protection. You need to be sure that your vendors aren’t falling short in their responsibilities.

Secure All Communications
Your communications need to be kept safe from interception, including mobile security measures. Encryption, multi-factor authentication, maintaining a backup, and planning for what happens if a device is lost are all critical.

We are here to assist businesses of all kinds, including legal firms, with their IT. Learn more about what we could do for your practice by calling (512) 343-8891 today.