What is a Cybersecurity Compliance Plan?

The C.R.C.P requires law firms to protect their client’s data as part of the duty to preserve client confidentiality. This puts firms in a expertise bind: lawyers understand the professional ethical guidelines, but often lack technological training. Conversely, IT experts understand the technological nuances of cybersecurity protocols, but lack the legal training to fully understand the professional ethical guidelines. This leaves law firms vulnerable to data loss and at risk for discipline and liability if data loss occurs.

We design custom Cybersecurity Compliance Plans to fit the unique needs of each firm. Your plan will:

1. Protect your firm from data loss;

2. Make your firm more resilient to cyber attacks, and;

3. Provide the documentation necessary for compliance with the C.R.P.E and Colorado law.

Your Cybersecurity Compliance Plan grants your firm several layers of defense against financial damage, liability, and professional discipline. You will be less likely to experience data theft and, if a data breach occurs, you will be far less likely to lose access to work product. If you face a disciplinary hearing or malpractice allegations following a cyber attack, your Cybersecurity Compliance Plan will show that you were following best practice guidelines.

What will my Cybersecurity Plan look like?

First, we will audit your firm’s cybersecurity practices to assess your strengths and discover areas of vulnerability. That information will allow us to write a custom plan that will address your firm’s needs. We design our plans to accommodate varying levels of time and energy, and our plans are structured to maximize ease of navigation and facilitate speed reading.

The first section of your plan will be a summary of your legal and ethical duties, followed by a detailed, digestible explanation of each duty. Next will be a list of recommended procedural changes to improve your cybersecurity and data integrity. We design our recommendations to adhere to your pre-existing work practices, making them easy to implement.

Next, your guide will include a written codification of the cybersecurity procedures that you already have in place. This serves two purposes. First, documentation of your procedures proves that you are taking reasonable measures to avoid a data breach as required by the C.R.P.C. Additionally, this section, as well as the recommendation section, will contain explanations of the technology involved in each procedure. This serves as proof that you are fulfilling the C.R.P.C’s requirement to “maintain the requisite knowledge and skill” by “[keeping] abreast of … changes in … technologies.” Colo. RPC 1.1, cmt.

Finally, your guide will contain a data destruction plan and a data breach response plan. Your data destruction plan will provide a step-by-step guide for all of your firm’s devices. Likewise, your breach response plan will lay out instructions on how to respond to a data breach in accordance with the C.R.P.C and Colorado law.