While cybersecurity and data breaches have been a concern for law firms for the past several years, last month the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility went one step further, issuing new guidance for lawyers as it relates to their handling of client data. Even though the ABA does not set final rules over attorneys, this is another clear indication to the industry that data security must be considered a priority.
Major retail companies still remain one of the of the most vulnerable and likely targets for data thieves, but increasingly law firms are finding themselves targets thanks to the valuable data they hold and the overall assumption that their data security systems, and in some cases employees, lack the sophistication of other major industries. In fact, over the last two years I have attended the Legal Marketing Association’s annual conferences and data breaches were one of the most important subjects discussed.
