Law firms are prime targets for cyber threats. Regardless of your size, because you retain highly confidential data, this makes you a prime target for attackers, who are waiting to monetize your data, and waiting to monetize you! That’s why cyber preparedness, and building firm resilience, is no longer optional—they’ve become essential. Why? It’s a changed world!
What one decisive step is your firm able to take today to blunt the impact of a cyberattack? Begin with a complimentary, third party, objective risk assessment to determine existing vulnerabilities and what is needed to be done to remediate them: start here.
Is your firm truly secure?
- How recently have you tested your defenses?
- Who is responsible for ensuring security?
- How often do you assess vulnerabilities?
- Are corrective measures being taken and documented?
- Do you re-test to confirm their actual effectiveness?
Cyber resilience goes beyond defense—it’s about anticipating, withstanding, and recovering from cyberattacks, natural disasters, and other disruptions. It better ensures:
- Business continuity
- Client trust
- Regulatory compliance
Building resilience requires leadership commitment of resource allocation and prioritization: time, funding, and use of dedicated personnel. If partners and firm managers don’t make security and resilience a priority, initiatives will falter and fall through the cracks—guaranteed! And when, not if, a breach occurs, the consequences will be punishing, in terms of: time, funding, and use of dedicated personnel; as well as: business continuity, client trust, and regulatory compliance.
Bottom line: either proactively invest, in a thoughtful and structured approach, to building layered defenses and instilling resilience throughout the firm, or later pay consequential damages, far exceeding any proactive investment of time, funding, and use of dedicated personnel. If you do not choose, the probabilities are high that arbitrary choices will be made for you.
Key Elements of a Cyber Resilience Strategy
- Layered Defense: Multiple security layers better ensures that a single failure doesn’t cascade into catastrophe.
- Proactive Risk Assessment: You have existing vulnerabilities, better identify them before attackers do, because once discovered, they will attempt to maliciously exploit them against you and your firm.
- Incident Response & Recovery Plans: Structured plans enable swift and decisive responses.
- Security Awareness Culture: Cyber defense is a team activity; everyone participates, everyone has an assigned role to play.
- Continuous Improvement: Cyber defense is a work-in-progress, with ongoing required maintenance, and periodic upgrades.
Step One in strengthening your firm’s cyber resilience is gaining a clear understanding of your current status. A complimentary, third party, objective risk assessment provides an objective view of vulnerabilities and actionable steps needed to be taken to strengthen your defenses.
Don’t wait for a breach to expose your weaknesses, which may be far more extensive than you anticipate. Take control now—schedule your assessment today and begin preparing your firm for lays ahead.
To learn more about where you are and where you should be focused, start here.
