Lawyers handle some of the most sensitive documents and communications imaginable, and yet law firm culture does not adapt well to the rapid changes in technology that define the world today. American law is built on precedent, where wisdom finds roots in stare decisis, so by nature, the mindset of lawyers is to embrace history for guidance and resist change. But those days are gone. It is time for law firms to transform their culture to ensure information security in a modern age.
Attorneys born prior to 1967 grew up in a time when the words Internet and Internet Protocol (IP) did not exist. Theirs was a paper world driven manually via word processors, copy machines and faxes. They dictated letters and legal briefs that were transcribed by legal secretaries and word processing departments. Documents were hole-punched and fastened into folders and stored in fire-proof metal file cabinets located non-securely throughout the office. Closed files were boxed up and manually delivered to closed storage facilities in some warehouse.
