As the volume and magnitude of data breaches grow, legal organizations are investing greater resources to protect against cyber risks and bolster data security practices. More than four in 10 lawyers (41 percent) recently interviewed by Robert Half Legal said their law firm or company plans to spend more on cybersecurity-related tools and services in the next 12 months. On average, lawyers expect to increase budgets by 13 percent.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Legal, a legal staffing and consulting solutions firm specializing in lawyers, paralegals and other highly skilled legal professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on 200 telephone interviews of lawyers with law firms and companies in the United States.
Lawyers were asked, “Does your law firm or company plan to increase or decrease its budget on cybersecurity-related tools and services in the next 12 months?“
“As evidenced by recent news headlines, data security breaches are becoming more frequent and sophisticated,” said Jamy Sullivan, executive director of Robert Half Legal. “Law firms, in particular, are targets for cyber criminals due to the high volume of sensitive information they maintain, so they are investing significant resources to develop robust defenses.”
Sullivan added that while implementing the latest cybersecurity tools is an important measure for safeguarding corporate data, legal teams need to work closely with their IT counterparts to identify vulnerabilities and establish data security policies. “Firms also should consider hiring subject matter experts to help them navigate the complexity and challenges of cyberthreats and regulatory changes to minimize risk to the organization,” she said.