This is the latest in a monthly series of The Marketing Department, where Legal Marketing Association members get candid about growing your practice and raising your profile. Check back in the months ahead for the latest developments in PR/communications, business development, client relations, technology and other areas.

There has been no shortage of attention paid to the staggering costs of data breaches to businesses. According to the Ponemon Institute, which analyzed data breach costs reported by 507 organizations across 16 geographies and 17 industries in 2019, the average cost of a breach in the United States rose to $8.19 million last year. This number far exceeds the worldwide average of $3.92 million, making the United States the absolute worst place on earth to suffer a data breach.