As a lawyer, everything you do is centered around working in the best interest of your clients, so shouldn’t that extend to protecting their private and personal information? Of course, the answer is yes, but for many individual lawyers and law firms, cybersecurity is an area that can create a lot of confusion. As a legal professional, you might be unsure what current cybersecurity threats are, let alone how to protect your clients from them.
However, cybersecurity should be a top priority. Law firms, particularly small- and mid-sized firms are often the target of hacks of cyber theft, likely because of the sheer amount of private and sensitive information they maintain and transmit on behalf of clients.
The following are important cybersecurity tips and considerations for legal professionals to keep in mind.
Document Sharing
You are sharing documents constantly with your clients, and think about all that’s contained in those documents. It’s obviously some of the most sensitive information, so how do you share with clients and how do you control access? If you don’t have something like virtual data rooms in place, you could be leaving your firm and your clients open to vulnerabilities.
With a virtual data room, there’s flexibility in how you share documents, and it’s simple and user-friendly. From the business perspective, there are typically scalable pricing options which will fit the needs of a law office or firm of any size.
When you utilize a secure portal, there’s two-factor authentication, which is excellent in terms of security. It also makes it easier for clients to stay organized and not have to worry about losing files or documents.
When it comes to sharing documents, while a virtual data room can be best, there are a lot of options that aren’t good at all. USB drives and email are two of the least safe options.
Cloud-based file sharing such as Dropbox may be okay, but there are risks. It may also not offer the features you really need, such as specific permission control options.
Know the Threats
Knowing the threats most likely to hit you as a lawyer is an important part of being proactive. Some of the primary threats you may face in the legal industry include:
- Ransomware
- Outdated technology
- Encryption
- Using your own private devices to work with clients or other employees
- Remote access
- Phishing through emails
Encryption
Encryption was quickly touched on above, and it’s something worth mentioning on its own. One of the best things you can do as a legal professional is invest in encryption technology. You’ll need end-to-end encryption,and you’ll need to think about not only encrypted communication but also storage and backup of files.
Be Knowledgeable About Email Threats
As a legal professional, you’re likely opening, answering and sifting through emails for most of your workday. Emails also happen to be one of the primary points of penetration for cybercriminals.
When you’re busy,and you’re quickly going through emails, it can be difficult to spot red flags, but it’s essential that you train yourself and your staff on what to look for in potentially problematic emails.
Spoof emails can be very convincing these days, and it doesn’t even take a lot of technical know-how to send these phishing attacks.
Even though it’s more time-consuming, you should scrutinize every email you receive. Make sure you check the actual email address that it’s sent from and hold your mouse over any links before clicking on them. Don’t provide personal information via email, especially if the request is unexpected.
Be Proactive
If you’re heading up a law firm, it’s really up to you to make sure that you’re protecting your clients, yourself and even your employees. You have to be proactive, and employees are always the weakest link when it comes to cybersecurity. This includes you and the people who work at your firm.
The following are some specific ways to be proactive when it comes to cybersecurity.
- Always stay up-to-date on the most prevalent threats and best practices.
- Develop cybersecurity policies.
- Require all employees including partners of the firm to go through training. Cybersecurity training should be hands-on whenever relevant.
- Many law firms use cyber insurance.
- You should also make sure your technology and infrastructure and secure, protected and up-to-date.
Finally, be careful with bring-your-own-device policies including laptops and smartphones. These are a major point of weakness for legal professionals, and your cybersecurity policies and training should extend to mobile devices since they’re the primary point of communication and contact for most people.
