Law firms using Microsoft 365 must protect client confidentiality. This guide covers essential security settings, compliance, and best practices.
Law firms are entrusted with clients' most sensitive information. This comprehensive guide covers essential Microsoft 365 security settings to protect client confidentiality and meet Law Society requirements. Why Law Firms Are High-Value Targets Before diving into security configurations, it's critical to understand why law firms face elevated cyber risk. Valuable Confidential Information Law firms hold some of the most sought-after data in any industry. M&A targets, litigation strategies, intellectual property, personal information, and corporate confidential information all pass through a firm's systems daily. For attackers, compromising a single law firm can yield a trove of sensitive material spanning dozens of clients and industries. Perceived Weak Security Attackers know that many firms operate with limited IT resources, and that attorneys frequently push back against security controls that slow their workflows. This combination makes law firms attractive targets because the expected return is high and the defences are often weaker than those of the clients the firm represents. Supply Chain Access A law firm's network connections extend far beyond its own walls. Breaching a firm can provide attackers with pathways into client networks, co-counsel systems, and court filing platforms. This supply-chain leverage makes law firms a strategic entry point for adversaries pursuing much larger targets. Regulatory Obligations The consequences of a breach extend well beyond the immediate technical damage. Breaches can trigger Law Society discipline, malpractice lawsuits, and mandatory disclosure requirements that damage client relationships and the firm's reputation for years to come. Important: Microsoft 365's default security settings are inadequate for protecting client confidential information. This guide provides the configurations needed to meet professional obligations. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for ALL Users Multi-Factor Authentication (Critical Priority) Compromised passwords remain the number one cause of account breaches, and MFA is the single most effective control you can deploy against them. Microsoft's own