This article appeared in Accounting and Financial Planning for Law Firms, an ALM/Law Journal Newsletters publication covering all financial aspects of managing law firms, including: building a law firm budget; rates and rate arrangements with clients; coordinating benefits for law firm partners; and the newest strategies to grow your firm and your career.

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting law firms; extortion is quickly realized, given the nature of highly confidential client data. The digital footprint of law firms is constantly expanding, leading to more entrances to a firm’s network infrastructure, which is a direct gateway to data. This expansion, combined with insider risks (a firm’s own staff), makes having risk-control protocols of paramount importance.