Cyber Security: New Standards, New Expectations for the 21st-Century Legal Practitioner

Abstract

The somewhat organic nature of technology or digitalization and the evils thereof, coupled with the need for survival of the 21st-century legal practice on the same make cyber security a burning issue in the field of law. The legal practitioners/clients' privilege and legal practitioners' duty of confidentiality owed to clients make the subject more topical herein. It is now indubitable that cyber attacks are real. Different attacks, such as legal email compromise, denial-of-service, phishing, data infiltration and monitoring for insider trading opportunities, among others, have grown steadily in recent years and law firms are not left out as major victims. This paper considers the meaning of cyber security, its particular relevance in law, the compliance level of law firms with cyber security measures in the 21st-century and the consequences, and the way forward.

Keywords: cyber security; digital transformation; legal practice

JEL Classification: K10