Summer changes the rhythm of a law firm. Attorneys take vacation, staff cover for
each other, and more work happens from home or between meetings. Attackers know
this, and they plan around it. The risk is not a dramatic mistake. It is one fast
click made while attention is split.
You know the feeling when an email arrives and something about it seems slightly
off. That hesitation is worth paying attention to. When you are busy, it is easy
to override it and move on. Attackers are counting on exactly that.
WHY SUMMER IS DIFFERENT AT A FIRM
When the day is fragmented, speed tends to win over scrutiny. Work happens in
between everything else, and that is exactly the moment an attacker wants. They do
not rely on obvious scams. They send messages that look routine: an invoice from a
vendor, a shared document, a quick request that appears to come from a partner.Not when you are focused. When you are busy. In that moment it is easy to act
quickly instead of looking closely. That is when the click happens.
THE CLICK IS NOT THE PROBLEM. IT IS WHAT THE CLICK CAN REACH.
When someone clicks a malicious link or opens a bad attachment, it rarely stops
there. At a law firm it can open the door to email, client files, trust account
information, and the systems the practice runs on. None of these operate in
isolation, so once access is gained it seldom stays contained. By the time anyone
notices, the impact is bigger than a single mistake. The issue is no longer a bad
click. It is everything that click was able to reach.
WHY "JUST BE MORE CAREFUL" DOES NOT WORK
It is tempting to say the answer is for people to be more careful. But that
assumes attorneys and staff have time to stop and evaluate every message. They do
not. Work moves fast, attention is split, and people are juggling matters all day.
So the goal should not be perfect attention. It should be systems that do not
depend on it.
A SIMPLE HABIT THAT HELPS: STOP
When a message feels off, especially one about money or access, run it through
four steps before you act:
- Slow down.
- Think about the context. Were you expecting this?
- Observe anomalies. A changed bank detail, an odd address, an urgent tone.
- Phone verify, using a number you already have, not one in the email.
WHAT ACTUALLY PROTECTS A FIRM
If your team is moving fast and getting interrupted, your security has to account
for that. The right guardrails limit what a single mistake can affect and catch
problems before they spread:
- Unique passwords for every login, so one compromised account does not unlock
everything else.
- Multi-factor authentication, so a stolen password alone is not enough.
- Filtering and flagging suspicious email before it reaches the team, so fewer
risky decisions get made in the first place.
- A simple, blame-free way for anyone to pause and ask,
"Does this look right?"
None of this depends on perfect behavior. It is built for real workdays. And you
do not need to be in IT to put it in place.
FIND OUT WHERE YOUR FIRM STANDS
If someone on your team makes the wrong click this afternoon, is it a small issueor something that spreads? Would you catch it right away, or only after the
damage? Summer does not create these risks. It just makes them easier to miss.
This is general information, not legal advice. The fastest way to know where your
firm actually stands is my free cybersecurity assessment. I review seven areas,
from the devices that touch client data to whether your backups would really
restore, and you get a written report with clear next steps. It is free, no
obligation, and limited to 10 firms a month.
Request yours at www.micro-tech.com/scan.
And if you know another firm trying to juggle work while everything competes for
attention this time of year, send this their way.
Brian Butterfield, CISSP
Co-Founder & Chief Security Officer, Microtech IT & Cybersecurity Service
