And they are right to be worried, with sensitive and confidential data held by firms providing a lure to a menagerie of cybercriminals, hacktivists and state-sponsored bad actors. A group of hackers reportedly suspected to be affiliated with the Chinese government recently infiltrated the IT systems of Washington D.C. firm Wiley Rein, apparently in an audacious attempt to gather intelligence for trade negotiation.
Across the pond, the U.K.’s Legal Aid Agency — a public body that arranges legal assistance for those who cannot afford to pay for legal advice and representation — announced in May 2025 that it was the victim of a malicious hacking group which “accessed and downloaded a significant amount of personal data from those who applied for legal aid ... between 2007 and ... 2025.” This cyberattack that seemingly spanned almost two decades has led to significant fallout, with both lawyers and clients impacted, and a disruption in providing access to legal services.
Why Are Law Firms Particularly Vulnerable to Cyberattacks?
Although many of the most publicized cyberattacks involve large retailers and household names, the legal sector is a particularly attractive prey for cyber-predators due to the nature of information routinely handled by lawyers.
Madison Iler, Chief Executive Officer of LMG Security, says, “Law firms hold vast amounts of sensitive and valuable client data that make them prime targets for theft and extortion.” But as well as holding data which can act as bait for cybercriminals, law firms also suffer more from the fallout of a hack. Iler notes that, while “law firms share many of the same cyber risks as other industries, the potential impact of these threats is heightened” as a result of this valuable information. Firms also face significant reputational risk upon suffering a data breach, Iler says.
According to Steve Garbett, Head of Infrastructure and Information Security at Lawfront, the impact of a cyberattack on a law firm can be stark. “As a knowledge-based service, information is a key asset,” he says. “Loss or exposure of confidential client data can devastate a firm’s finances and reputation.”
While law firms face similar cybersecurity risks as other companies, Garbett emphasizes that as firms have migrated away from physical documents to technology to service clients, a firm is particularly negatively affected because of the billable hours format.
“Loss or exposure of confidential client data can devastate a firm’s finances and reputation.”
Notable Cybersecurity Threats to the Legal Industry
There are a vast array of methods used by hackers to gain access to data contained on IT systems commonly used by lawyers such as case management platforms and email tools. Earlier this year, the FBI warned that law firms were being targeted by cybercriminals using phishing and social engineering tactics to gain access to sensitive client data and subsequently demand a ransom to prevent it being published online.
“Phishing and business email compromise are ... top threats, as email is often exploited to steal funds or confidential information,” Iler says. She expands that today’s “most pressing cybersecurity risks for law firms are ransomware attacks, data exfiltration and cyber extortion.”
An increasing source of risk also comes from interconnected IT systems that allow third parties to access a law firm’s networks. “Man-in-the-middle attacks and fund diversion attempts are ongoing threats,” Garbett says. “Supply chain vulnerabilities, often from compromised clients or third parties, are rising as systems become more interconnected.”
