Law Firm Cyber Risk Checklist
A Confidential Self-Assessment for Reducing Risk and Protecting Client Trust
Law firms are entrusted with some of the most sensitive data that exists client records, financial information, privileged communications, and strategic documents. Yet many firms lack a clear, structured way to evaluate whether their cybersecurity practices truly match that responsibility.
This checklist was created to provide clarity without complexity.
What This Checklist Is
The Law Firm Cybersecurity Checklist is a practical, plain-English self-assessment designed specifically for small to mid-sized law firms. It helps firm leadership quickly evaluate their current security posture across key areas such as:
Data protection and confidentiality
Access control and offboarding
Incident response readiness
Vendor and AI tool risk
Compliance alignment and ethical obligations
It is not a technical audit and does not require IT expertise to complete.
Who This Is For
This resource is designed for:
Managing Partners
Firm Administrators
Directors of Operations
Attorneys responsible for ethics and compliance
If you are responsible for protecting client data—or answering questions about how it is protected—this checklist will help you assess where you stand.
How to Use the Checklist
The checklist takes approximately 5–10 minutes to complete.
Each item is a simple yes/no question
Each “yes” earns one point
Your total score places your firm into one of three risk ranges. At the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of whether your firm’s current controls are strong, moderate, or in need of immediate attention.
What Your Score Tells You
Most small law firms score between 9 and 14.
That range often indicates a firm that has good intentions and partial controls in place but lacks consistency, documentation, or oversight in critical areas.
The checklist helps surface these gaps early, before they turn into:
Ethics violations
Insurance claim denials
Client trust issues
Operational disruption
The L.A.W.S.™ Framework
This checklist is grounded in the L.A.W.S.™ framework, developed to translate cybersecurity into business language legal professionals understand:
Limit Liability – Reduce exposure before a breach or investigation occurs
Align with Regulations – Meet ethical duties, bar guidance, and regulatory expectations
Win Client Trust – Demonstrate that confidentiality is handled with intention
Secure the Business – Ensure cyber risk does not disrupt operations or growth
A Note on Next Steps
This checklist is meant to provide clarity not pressure.
Some firms will use it as a quick internal benchmark. Others may want help interpreting the results, prioritizing next steps, or building a practical roadmap forward.
If you would like support beyond the checklist, a Confidential Cyber Roadmap Session (30 minutes) is available to walk through your results and discuss options—no obligation.
