Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

The 'Soft Underbelly' of Cybersecurity Meets Legal Ethics

By Jerry Cohen
March 02, 2017

Legal departments for business organizations rate cybersecurity, regulation and ethics compliance among their chief concerns, and they are well aware of surveys showing law firms to be the “soft underbelly” of business security due to weakness of their cybersecurity. Lawyers and law firms are often behind trends but very good at playing catch-up. In the area of cybersecurity, the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct can help serve as a guide.

The Model Rules are drafted by and for lawyers and, yes, they include lots of flexibility (read, wiggle room) with expressions of “reasonableness.” But these rules express a commitment to improve awareness and competence in technology usage.

Technology awareness includes such issues as encryption and other safeguards of various Internet services and many more. Lawyers and law firms must ask and answer several questions for their own operations and for effectively advising clients. What does a candidate service provider do by way of capturing and using metadata and content it acquires through the service? Guard it securely? Sell it to others? With filtered privacy information? Mine it to create more profits? What are its duties under its Terms of Service and governing law to notify subscribers of data usage, breach, or loss of stored data? How does the provider accept new instructions to delete or correct data relating to the subscriber? What are its encryption, anti-hacking, anti-theft measures? How and when does it give access to federal and state government officials?

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws Image

This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.

The Article 8 Opt In Image

The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.

Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin Image

With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.

Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York Image

In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?

The Benefits of Blockchain for e-Discovery and Data Preservation Image

As businesses across various industries increasingly adopt blockchain, it will become a critical source of discoverable electronically stored information. The potential benefits of blockchain for e-discovery and data preservation are substantial, making it an area of growing interest and importance.