Solo and Small Practice Trends in the Legal Industry: Serving to Protect

In today’s digital age, it’s never been more important to keep data security in mind. Instances of identity theft, wire fraud, corporate espionage, and even geopolitical destabilization efforts have all been on the rise lately, thanks to computer hackers breaching supposedly secure databases and absconding with damaging information.

Nowhere is data security more important than in the legal field. Protecting client and office data from catastrophic accidental loss or purposeful breach has easily become a primary focus for the solo and small law practice community, especially as small firms increasingly transition to paperless offices. With such crucial data now being warehoused in locations, such as cloud storage facilities, that are naturally more susceptible to breach and loss, small-scale firms are taking action to keep client and office data out of the wrong hands.

Protection from Theft and Loss

There are few nightmare scenarios worse than the accidental loss of a law firm’s digital resources. This can take any number of forms, including the kinds of human error that can lead to inadvertent data deletion to so-called acts of God such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, or anything else that can wipe a server farm off the face of the Earth. The key to surviving such a calamity is to dedicate time and energy into backing up these crucial databases regularly. Online backup systems are one of most prevalent options, thanks to advancements in modern connectivity technologies.

Meanwhile, purposeful data breach and theft is another major issue that smaller firms have found ways to combat. While no online system is completely secure — there are always vulnerabilities that enterprising hackers can exploit — law offices have been minimizing their exposure by instituting much more stringent security protocols. Simple firewall programs and anti-virus software can help to keep systems secure, and supplementing these basic systems with malware sweepers and better password discipline add further levels of security that can easily spell the difference when it comes to keeping your data under lock and key.

Providing Security Without Sacrificing Convenience

Modern data systems, such as paperless systems that eliminate having to deal with hard copies, are designed to provide high levels of convenience. Sometimes this convenience can jeopardize the security of this data, especially once it leaves your law firm and goes on somewhere else. Legal support providers such as document delivery services can often be the weakest link in the chain if their security measures don’t meet your own firm’s high standards.

Not all support providers are created equal, of course. Some, like Rapid Legal, take data security as seriously as they value providing convenient, accessible service to their partner firms. Rapid Legal’s around-the-clock availability doesn’t come with the price of reduced security; as a certified Electronic Filing Service Provider with the state of California, Rapid Legal meets stringent standards that ensure the security of your electronically-submitted court documents and service of process orders are only accessed by those with the proper authorization.

By all accounts, it’s a jungle out there, and the world of data security is only going to get more wild as we progress. Partner with a skilled and experienced electronic data management service provider like Rapid Legal if you want the best on your side.