Law firms handle highly sensitive client information, including personally identifiable information, contracts, case files, court filings, and privileged communications. Protecting this digital data is not just an ethical obligation but a legal requirement.
Firms must comply with ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Rule 1.6) for confidentiality, HIPAA for healthcare cases, GLBA for financial data protection, and broader data protection laws like GDPR(neues Fenster), CCPA, NIS2, and DORA.
Despite these regulations, cybersecurity breaches remain a growing concern. A 2025 Integris report(neues Fenster) found that 52% of clients worry about cybersecurity breaches at law firms — and those concerns are well-founded.
What law firms risk by not protecting client data
According to the ABA 2023 Cybersecurity Tech Report(neues Fenster), 29% of law firms have experienced a security breach — whether through a lost or stolen device, hacking incident, website exploit, or physical break-in. The financial impact can be devastating, with the average cost of a data breach reaching $4.88 million in 2024(neues Fenster).
Cybercriminals target law firms not just for financial gain but also for access to confidential and high-risk legal data. Whether working remotely or in an office, legal professionals must take proactive security measures to keep client data confidential and protected, including preparing an incident response plan to quickly address and mitigate potential breaches.
Ignoring cybersecurity best practices can lead to:
- Ethical violations, such as breaching attorney-client privilege.
- Regulatory fines(neues Fenster) for non-compliance.
- Ransomware attacks that lock firms out of their own files.
- Financial loss from ransomware demands and fraud.
- Lawsuits and reputational damage — nearly 40% of clients say they would fire or consider firing a firm that experienced a breach, and 37% would warn others about the incident (Integris report).
Beyond mitigating risks, strong cybersecurity is a competitive advantage. The 2025 Integris report found that 37% of clients are willing to pay a premium for law firms with robust security measures.
9 simple ways to secure your law firm’s digital data
Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, not just an IT issue — every employee(neues Fenster) must do their part. Here’s what solo practitioners and law firms can do to protect business and client data, ensure compliance, and maintain client trust:
1. Store and back up legal documents securely with encrypted cloud storage
The ABA tech report found that 43% of law firms use online backups, 32% rely on external hard drives, and 25% store backups offsite. While offline and offsite backups add an extra layer of protection, secure online backups provide easier access to files without compromising security.
Unlike cloud storage tools like Google Drive that scan your data, Proton Drive automatically protects all the files you upload using E2EE. And with Proton Docs, you can create new documents that are encrypted from the moment you start writing.
Encrypted cloud storage protects your law firm from ransomware attacks in two ways: hackers can’t read files in the first place due to E2EE, and if they try to lock or destroy them, you can restore your data without paying a ransom(neues Fenster) by managing file version history in Drive.
Recommended tool: Proton Drive
2. Control access rights to legal documents
Lawyers must share and collaborate on documents, but without proper security measures, sensitive legal files can end up in the wrong hands.
Proton Docs is the first online document editor protected by end-to-end encryption, offering collaboration tools like comments, suggestion mode, and revision history. You can control who has edit or view access and securely share documents via email, with options to manage permissions, set passwords, and define expiration dates.
Recommended tool: Proton Drive
3. Keep your accounts secure with strong passwords and 2FA
The ABA tech report found that only 33% of law firms use a password manager, which is the most secure way of using strong and unique passwords — the first line of defense against unauthorized access to your computer, mobile device, email, and legal accounts. Plus, only 54% of attorneys have two-factor authentication (2FA) available, leaving nearly half at risk of account breaches.
Proton Pass is an encrypted password manager that can automatically store and generate strong passwords, so you don’t have to remember them. It also provides an authenticator app to enable 2FA for your accounts.
Recommended tool: Proton Pass
4. Keep communications private with encrypted email
Most email services, including Gmail and iCloud Email, don’t fully protect your emails, making them vulnerable to unauthorized access at different stages of the email exchange. Only 42% of law firms report having email encryption available, with solo practitioners even lower at 33.1% (ABA tech report).
Proton Mail protects your emails with end-to-end encryption (E2EE) when messaging another Proton user — no one can read the message besides you and the recipient, not even us. When emailing clients or colleagues outside of Proton Mail, you can set a password to keep the contents of your message protected.
Recommended tool: Proton Mail
5. Protect confidential data with device encryption
Your computer holds sensitive client data, case files, and documents, making it a major security risk(neues Fenster) if it’s lost, stolen, or compromised. Enabling full-disk encryption with BitLocker on Windows(neues Fenster) or FileVault on Mac(neues Fenster) ensures this data remains protected, even if someone gains physical access to your laptop or desktop.
Or you can use VeraCrypt(neues Fenster), a free and open-source tool that allows you to encrypt hard drives and USB flash drives or other external storage devices.
Recommended tool: Bitlocker on Windows, FileVault on Mac, VeraCrypt on Windows or Mac
6. Prevent data interception by encrypting internet traffic
Unsecured WiFi(neues Fenster) can expose sensitive legal information. When you work remotely from a coffee shop, hotel, or airport, anyone on the network could potentially intercept your data.
Proton VPN encrypts your internet connection, ensuring that your communications, case files, and client data remain private, no matter where you are. Plus, you can use dedicated servers(neues Fenster) to securely connect to your firm’s network and work remotely with encrypted traffic, just as if you were in the office.
Recommended tool: Proton VPN
7. Prevent phishing, fraud, and business email compromise
Law firms are frequent targets of phishing attacks, fraud, impersonation scams, and business email compromise attacks, where cybercriminals pose as clients or colleagues to request financial transactions(neues Fenster) or confidential information. Rather than relying solely on email, you should always verify sensitive requests through a second form of communication, such as a phone or video call.
Proton Mail supports custom domains and uses domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to help prevent hackers from using your account for email spoofing and phishing attacks(neues Fenster).
Recommended tool: Proton Mail
8. Secure mobile devices like your computer
Mobile devices play a key role in account security checks, often serving as the second factor for 2FA. Plus, many professionals use their smartphones for email, banking, reviewing documents, and accessing sensitive accounts — especially when they’re away from their work computers and need to complete a task quickly. If a device is compromised, attackers can gain access to critical accounts.
To stay protected on your smartphone, you should enable biometric authentication, such as facial recognition or fingerprint, to prevent unauthorized access. Plus, you can use Proton apps on all your devices, including iOS and Android, to keep your files, emails, and passwords secure wherever you go. You can unlock each app with biometrics and enable 2FA for your Proton Account to use an authenticator app or a security key whenever you sign in.
Recommended tool: Facial recognition or fingerprint, Proton Account with 2FA enabled
9. Monitor logins and prevent account takeovers
Even if you’re using a trusted device, it’s important to verify every login to watch out for any attempts at unauthorized access. If someone gains access to your password, they could try to log in from a new session or exploit an existing session.
In your Proton Account settings, you can view current sessions (every device where you’re logged on) and revoke access easily. Plus, you can enable Proton Sentinel, an advanced tool that actively blocks suspicious login attempts to prevent account takeover.
Recommended tool: Proton Account session manager, Proton Sentinel
Want more cybersecurity best practices? Get our free IT security guide for small businesses.
Protect your business and client data with Proton
Proton provides a secure ecosystem with end-to-end encryption and Swiss protection, helping professionals — including law firms — safeguard sensitive information, maintain compliance, and defend against cyber threats. All Proton apps are open source and independently audited, allowing anyone to verify the security of our codebase.
Here’s how your law firm can keep confidential data secure and under your control with Proton:
- With Proton Drive, you can back up and store sensitive legal documents in end-to-end encrypted cloud storage. Plus, you can securely share files with password protection, set expiration dates, and manage access permissions to prevent unauthorized access. Proton Docs allows you to create online documents and collaborate securely through built-in editing, commenting and suggesting tools.
- Proton Pass is an encrypted password manager that creates, stores, and autofills strong passwords, eliminating the risk of weak or reused credentials. It also supports 2FA for your accounts and allows you to safely share sensitive notes and other information using encrypted links.
- Proton Mail safeguards client communication with end-to-end encrypted emails and password protection, ensuring that only the intended recipient can read your messages. It provides advanced tools to block phishing and spoofing attempts.
- With Proton VPN, you can encrypt your internet connection to prevent data interception, especially when working remotely, on public WiFi, or traveling. It also provides secure remote access to office networks and advanced security features for lawyers working in high-risk locations, including Secure Core(neues Fenster) and Tor over VPN(neues Fenster).
Get started with Proton for Business to protect your law firm’s confidential data, client communications, and legal documents.
