Top 5 Cyber Threats Facing Law Firms

As a law firm, you are one of the most valuable targets for cybercriminals. You manage some of the most sensitive and high-stakes information in business, client trust, financial data, case strategy, and privileged communications. That’s exactly the kind of data attackers want. 

Cyber threats continue to evolve, becoming more sophisticated, creative, and relentless. At Sikich, we believe legal professionals should not only understand these risks but also be equipped to defend against them proactively. 

Here are the top five IT threats law firms must prepare for now—and what you can do to stay ahead. 

1. Phishing & Business Email Compromise (BEC) 

Phishing remains the top entry point for attackers. Sophisticated BEC campaigns now impersonate clients, courts, or partners, using generative AI to mimic writing styles and signatures. Phishing is still one of the most dangerous and common threats to law firms. 

A single compromised email can lead to credential theft, financial fraud, or exposure of confidential documents. 

To stay safe,enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA), deploy advanced email filtering, run regular phishing awareness training, and perform periodic simulated phishing exercises to test readiness. 

2. Ransomware & Data Extortion 

Ransomware isn’t just about encrypting files anymore. Attackers now often steal data first, threatening to publish sensitive client information unless demands are met. The cyber landscape for law firms is evolving fast.  

Disruption to operations, legal case delays, reputational loss, and regulatory non-compliance can all follow a ransomware attack. 

You can protect yourself by maintaining secure and tested backups, deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR), ensuring patching is up to date, and having a well-practiced incident response plan in place. 

3. Insider Threats & Privilege Misuse 

Not all threats come from outside. Insider threats, whether unintentional or malicious, occur when staff, contractors, or others with access misuse their permissions or make mistakes that lead to data leakage. 

Law firms often have many individuals with access to confidential data (associates, paralegals, external counsel). An error or misused privilege can lead to severe exposure. 

To avoid falling victim, implement least-privilege policies, role-based access control, regular audits of user permissions, and continuous monitoring of internal activities. 

4. Third-Party / Vendor Risk & Supply Chain Vulnerabilities 

Many law firms rely on vendor services or third-party tools, cloud storage, case management software, and document review platforms. Each vendor represents a potential risk if their security is weak. 

An attacker compromising a vendor’s system can indirectly compromise your firm’s data and operations. 

Protect your supply chain. Conduct vendor risk assessments, require contractual security commitments, ensure third-party tools conform to privacy and security standards, and monitor integration points closely. 

5. AI-Driven Risks & Deepfakes 

With generative AI, legal documents, communications, and media can be manipulated in ways that are hard to detect. Deepfake voice or video impersonations, forged evidence, and AI-generated “legal advice” are emerging threats. 

These attacks can erode trust, compromise evidence, or lead clients to act on falsified content. 

Introduce oversight procedures for AI-assisted content, train teams on spotting deepfakes, maintain checks and balances (e.g., human review), and employ tools that detect manipulated media. 

Sikich: Helping Law Firms Stay Safe 

At Sikich, we understand that law firms face unique risk profiles. Our approach is to help you not only respond to threats but to build resilient systems that anticipate them. Here’s how we protect the law firms we partner with: 

• Comprehensive security assessments to identify your current IT vulnerabilities 
• Implementing best-in-class defenses: MFA, email protection, backup strategies, vendor risk controls 
• Tailored compliance guidance to meet industry and regulatory requirements 
• Continuous monitoring and training so your staff remains vigilant 

How Safe is Your Firm? 

The cyber risks facing law firms are real, evolving, and unforgiving. Failure to prepare puts your data, compliance, and client trust at risk. 

With the right strategy, tools, and partner, your firm can protect client relationships, maintain compliance, and keep operations running smoothly—even as threats continue to rise. 

Find out how safe your law firm is from IT threats. Schedule a free risk assessment with Sikich. 

 We’ll evaluate your firm’s security posture and build a tailored plan to keep your business secure, compliant, and resilient.