Firms of lawyers make massive use of technology - anyone
still under the quill-pen illusion should prepare to be
disillusioned.
Few modern transactions take place without access to electronic
communications - be that simple e-mail or more secure methods of
communication. Transactions often cross geographic and time-zone
boundaries increasing the need not only for an electronic
communication method but also for a comprehensive audit trail and
security model behind these communications.
Imagine the negative press that would dog a law firm that
inadvertently leaked the take-over intentions of one of their major
clients. Not only would the firm lose that client, but quite
probably the firm's reputation would be damaged irretrievably.
IT teams face a continuous challenge - how to keep the service
always available and how to ensure that the security model is not
breached. This requires locked-down policies and considerable
control of the user workplace - but more than that. The union
between the practitioner and the technical professional has to be
absolute. The trust must pass in both directions. The technology
team must be sure the lawyers are working within the security model
and the lawyers must understand why they should do so.
Lawyers supporting complex international transactions work
anywhere - airport lounges, hotel rooms, clients offices in
different parts of the world. The technology has to work, and work
first time. This puts huge pressure on handheld devices, secure
virtual private tunnels, and controlled community access sites -
client or deal extranets.
Do the legal firms take risks with this technology? No. Most
firms maintain control of their communications and mobile working
strategies. Co-sourcing arrangements and outsourcing of gross
infrastructure aside, the strategy behind the communications is
always kept inside the firm. This is as important as the knowledge
each individual lawyer uses to practice their skills - it is the
crown jewel of the secure communications strategy.
Much is done to make the travelling lawyer's life easy -
handheld devices, unified communications, smart phones and secure
access to know-how and document repositories are all a part of the
normal kitbag. Care in use of these services, careful configuration
of the offering, and technical understanding by the users all
contribute to making the secure communications environment work for
law firms. It is a symbiotic union: technology sitting behind and
underpinning the way the modern transaction works.
Within BLP, the technology team evaluates with the guidance of
third parties, the best-of-breed technologies. Teams are involved
at the very early stages to appreciate the products within the
security arena, and gain vital exposure to the ever-changing
security market place. Employees are best placed to understand the
threats to the business and the remediation required. Having
well-informed, knowledgeable staff on tap ensures the efficient and
effective service offering to lawyers and in turn to clients.
Lawyers demand more of their information online.
The outside view may well be that banks and other financial
institutions need high levels of security - but so do legal firms.
Just thinking for a few moments answers that - not just the
possibility of leaking corporate strategy or price sensitive
information - but also the possibility of revealing something
simple such as an office plan for the client in a sensitive
industry could result in damage.
Security has a high focus in law firms. It continues to be
managed internally - even when the external manifestation may
involve committed third parties. Law firms need to manage and
maintain data, as data is the business.
Janet Day - IT Director, Berwin, Leighton, Paisner
LLP