Although ransomware attacks are a common concern for law firms and legal departments, usage of cybersecurity and business continuity technology tools is low. Increased usage of these tools by law firms and legal departments could help them fight against these cyber threats and alleviate their concerns.
Bloomberg Law’s 2021 Legal Technology Survey asked respondents in law firms and legal departments how concerned their organizations are about ransomware attacks. A considerable 89% of the respondents identified as a senior lawyer (defined as partner, of counsel, senior counsel, principal, equity owner, general counsel, or chief legal officer) reported that their organizations are either somewhat or very concerned about ransomware.
When the survey queried respondents about which legal technology tools they or those in their organizations are currently using, the data revealed a surprising discrepancy. Just 39% of senior lawyers reported that either they or someone in their organization are using privacy/cybersecurity tools, and only 19% reported the use of business continuity/disaster recovery tools.
If concerns about ransomware are so pronounced, then why is there low usage of these tools? Due to competing responsibilities and time constraints, lawyers may not have the bandwidth to learn about or use these tools. Furthermore, senior lawyers may not even know legal tech tools that address these issues exist—and are being used by IT—in their organizations.
Lawyers and organizations should endeavor to use more privacy/cybersecurity tools and business continuity/disaster recovery tools or, at the very least, confirm that the IT department or other appropriate technical staff are implementing these tools to combat ransomware attacks. The more that they use these legal tech tools, the better equipped they will be to prevent and respond to ransomware. This increased usage could ultimately serve to alleviate concerns, both from within the organization and from clients about these organizations’ vulnerability.
Bloomberg Law Subscribers can find more related content on our Practical Guidance: Privacy, Cybersecurity & Technology and Practical Guidance: Data Breach pages.
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