Data Protection and Security for Law Firms

In this age of technological innovation, the chance of computer hacking and cyberterrorism is increasingly becoming more and more of a reality. Due to this, the current challenge of protecting data has moved away from the pre-Cold war days of espionage and armed safes and unto the new era of data encryption and cyber security. Many companies are at risk from these modern-age attacks, but law firms especially stand in high jeopardy due to the highly sensitive nature of their legal foundation. Thereby placing a requirement on all firms to do their upmost in protecting the confidentiality of their clients and cases. However, many law firms are struggling with defending against cyberterrorism because they are unaware of which technology will ably safeguard the appropriate legal data.

The Risk of Unauthorized Disclosure

All types of data are at risk for attack, whether it’s personal, business related, or documents that are directly involved with litigation. And, if its stored within a local server (like one inside of the firm) the data will also require physical security. The same can be said about saving important documentation onto flash drives, which can easily be misplaced or stolen. Meanwhile, sending emails between clients and third parties is another aspect of security risk that introduces other challenges for law firms. Hackers will typically look for gaps in security defenses (big or small) in order to take advantage and gain easy access to client information. The intention is to either exploit and demand ransom, or deliberately cause damage to the law firms public reputation. Regardless of how the risk may present itself, the consequences of unauthorized access to sensitive client information can have severe repercussions for both the law firm and the client. This has made it vital that law firms employ proper security measures to every aspect of all critical information.

How Clients Feel About the Security of Their Data

These days, clients too are aware of the risks associated with their information and are often very particular about the security involved with keeping their confidentiality. Simply put, they don’t want their private information falling into the wrong hands. There can be several types of repercussions for law firms that do not take the proper precautions. If the client were to discover that their law firm had inadequate security practices they could grow unhappy and change attorneys. Or even worse, if the client were to find out that their data had been lost or stolen, the law firm will have opened themselves to the risk of suit. This has created even more reason for law firms to adequately use proper security measures. In doing so, all parties involved can rest easy in the proper safekeeping of their valuable information.

How to Choose Technology that Ensures Higher Security

Oftentimes, small law firms do not have the available resources e.g., money, time, or staff to dedicate towards sufficiently protecting client data. Even the corporate law offices that are able to dedicate the time and money are discovering that it’s too variegated of a process to competently implement. Instead of having to struggle with the steps of protecting information stored on local servers or at a physical location, law firms can choose other alternatives that offer better security options. For these reasons, many law firms are moving to cloud-based software as a newer and more secure technological platform. A cloud based system provides numerous benefits that immediately reduce the risk of information being breached. It provides unlimited storage that can adequately hold all of a firm’s necessary data, legal documents, and financial records. Also, it is protected by secured authorization and bank grade security levels at a minimum. This natural protection that surrounds information stored in the cloud relieves the firm from the responsibility of having to protect the information themselves. Instead, it makes it so that the firm need only access the information at their convenience. For this reason, today’s law firms are quickly making the switch to cloud-based technology for a more secure and effortless platform.

TimesManager is a cloud based Legal billing software designed specifically for law firms to efficiently manage time tracking, invoicing & billing activities. TimesManager Attorney billing software offers accessibility to time and expense tracking, split billing, CRM and document management. To make the bill processing more efficient, the software also integrates with LEDES, ABA and UTBMS task code applications.

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