Attorneys are counselors and problem solvers at times when there’s a lot on the line — money, reputation and even freedom. Attorneys are trusted with highly sensitive data, Rich Lee said. If the data are lost, leaked or even held for ransom, it could cause irreparable damage and even violate lawyers’ ethical rules. And trustworthiness and reputation are everything in law.
With so much on the line, Lee said that data security should be a consideration for all attorneys and their staff. However, implementing a data security strategy often seems so daunting that many lawyers don’t know where to start.
Luckily, data security is attainable for every lawyer at every firm by first focusing on a lawyer’s personal responsibility for security. Lee outlined basic steps for securing data, like making passwords more complicated, utilizing multi-factor authentication, updating software and being on alert for phishing scams. Finally, he urged attendees to use full-disk encryption and device tracking and wiping, not to mention backing up data offsite.