As the legal industry increasingly turns to technology for information storage and evidence processing, cybersecurity risks continue to grow. Even a relatively ‘minor’ breach can damage a law firm’s reputation and result in the costly loss of information. For that reason, law firms must implement a robust cybersecurity strategy to protect their organization and their clients.
In this article, we’ve compiled some of the best cybersecurity strategies for legal teams. Let’s get started!
Understand Your Risk
According to research by The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a nonprofit group focused on security, over half of all security breaches are the result of human error. Acknowledging this statistic and the inherent risk of employee error is challenging, but it will help you approach the problem with perspective. The fact is, cybersecurity firm Mandiant reports that 80 of the 100 biggest law firms in the U.S. have been hacked since 2011. You would be doing your law firm a disservice by assuming that it won’t happen to you.
Perform a Broad Assessment
How can you tell whether you’re prepared to withstand an attempted data breach? What tools and technologies have you put in place to protect your data? These basic operational questions will shape your strategy moving forward. Start by understanding exactly what systems are being used, what purpose they serve, and who controls them. In some extreme cases, it may make sense to consult an external provider to perform this assessment for you. Third-party services offer expertise and eliminate potential bias.
Educate Your Team
Even the most powerful security tools on the market will mean nothing if your employees don’t understand how to use them. You need to invest in continual staff education where team members at every level can learn effective data management practices. In addition to educating the team, you need to create a policy outlining your expectations, as well as the potential penalties for failure to adhere to the guidelines. While this may seem harsh, you need people to understand that you are serious about protecting confidential client data.
Obtain Comprehensive Cyber Insurance
No matter how thoroughly you’ve prepared, you can never completely eliminate the risk of a data breach. Cyber insurance is critical for legal companies because it will provide coverage for forensic investigation fees. In fact, many policies will reimburse you for the expense of retaining a team of forensic investigators in advance of an incident! This ensures that you’ll be able to respond quickly and effectively in the event of the worst-case scenario.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for reading! We hope we’ve given you some useful tips that you can use to improve your legal team’s cybersecurity strategies. If you enjoyed this article, feel free to share it on social media!
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