LexCloud President Karim Jinnah was quoted in a recent Canadian Lawyer article about how remote working is transforming the legal profession.
Authored by Associate Editor Aidan Macnab, The Great Migration: How remote-work has transformed the legal profession examines how Canadian law firms are transitioning to a largely remote work model during to the COVID-19 pandemic, from implementing new technologies to keeping staff productive and connected.
Asked about the main cybersecurity considerations for remote working, Jinnah outlined the security benefits of a centralized platform such as a virtual desktop, and the importance of using two-factor authentication to protect login credentials from hackers.
Cybersecurity is a significant concern for Canadian law firms; because of the highly valuable, confidential data firms store and transmit, they are considered prime targets. In recent months, LexCloud has seen a significant increase in the number of phishing emails landing in law firm inboxes, and with more employees now working remotely, firms must be extra vigilant.
Stephen Cooper, a partner with Cooper Regel LLP based in Yellowknife and Alberta, cautions that small to mid-sized law firms should ensure outsourced IT providers have sufficient experience with supporting law firms. “The notion of jack of all trades is very dangerous. And for cybersecurity, you have to be working with a firm or a person, at least, that has a particular expertise in the practice of law,” says Cooper.
Macnab also spoke with Toronto lawyer Monica Goyal, who regularly advises clients in tech and engineering. Goyal outlines the impact of cybersecurity on client service, with clients “growing in sophistication” and “increasingly requesting cybersecurity accountability” and because of this, more and more firms are seeing cybersecurity audits included in their contracts. At LexCloud, we often support our clients through these cybersecurity audits, a very rigorous and time-consuming process.
The article quotes several other leading experts in law and legal technology, with a conclusion that people are the ultimate priority – using technology to keep them safe, engaged, happy and productive.
Read the full Canadian Lawyer article here.
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