Modern law practices work on the go, whether you're drafting a motion in a courthouse hallway, reviewing evidence at client sites, or checking email between flights. Working flexibly supports your firm, but exposes you to risks if you're working on unsecured Wi-Fi, lose your laptop, or accidentally share sensitive client data.
A secure mobile and remote work setup can balance mobility and security with seamless access and communication while keeping information confidential. This guide walks you through a field-ready kit for attorneys, mobile device management, best practices and cybersecurity habits, maintaining compliance while mobile, and when to consider outsourcing IT support to a managed services provider.
Field-Ready Attorney Kit
Client meetings, hearings, depositions, and travel require secure access to case files and communications on the go. With a reliable remote setup, you can work proactively and keep sensitive client information safe. Here's what you should have in your on-the-go kit.
Laptops should be business grade and managed by IT or a managed services provider (MSP), with full-disk encryption, endpoint protection, VPN or secure cloud desktop access, and pre-configured updates for critical security patches. Devices shouldn't mix personal and professional use.
Smartphones are often a weak link with constant connections and small size that's easy to lose. Security should go beyond a PIN and include device encryption, firm-managed apps, mandatory screen locks, and remote wipe capability. Again, your work device shouldn't be used for personal affairs.
Personal hotspots can protect your devices, allowing you to avoid public Wi-Fi in courthouses, airports, or coffee shops where attackers may lurk.
Secure printers can be paired with laptops, and scanning apps should have built-in encryption to digitize documents directly to secure cloud storage.
Mobile Device Management Essentials
Mobile device management can give your firm the ability to control, update, and wipe devices including laptops, tablets, and smartphones remotely. This offers a safety net that can protect data if a device is lost or compromised.
You can use mobile device management to wipe devices remotely, push security updates, monitor compliance for encryption, multi-factor authentication, and other security rules, and apply consistent settings across devices. For example, you can set up an app whitelist to allow only approved apps, automate updates, and apply travel profiles for stricter security when connecting abroad.
Make Remote Work Secure for Your Firm
Don’t let lost devices or unsecure Wi-Fi put your client data at risk. Schedule a free IT security consultation with ECS to learn how to safeguard your mobile and remote setups.
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Collaborating Safely on the Go
If you’re collaborating with co-counsel, exchanging discovery with opposing counsel, or sending client updates, you’re sharing files regularly. That can be risky when you’re working outside of secure protocols, but using secure workflows can keep your sensitive information confidential while maintaining productivity on the go.
- A client portal eliminates risky email attachments and allows you to encrypt files in transit and at rest, restricting access, and providing audit trails of access and downloads.
- Redaction tools protect sensitive documents by permanently removing text and metadata.
- Encrypted file-sharing platforms can securely transfer files that are too large for client portals, enabling link expiration dates and download limits, and requiring multi-factor authentication for recipients.
Staff should be trained to never text client files over messaging apps, confirm recipient addresses before sending sensitive documents, usse firm-approved apps only, and immediately report accidental sharing.
Cybersecurity Practices for Remote Attorneys
As remote and mobile work can expose attorneys to risks from phishing attempts to data loss, safe cybersecurity practices are essential. Take these steps to protect your work while on the go:
- Protect logins by using multi-factor authentication across case-management systems, email and calendaring platforms, VPNs, client portals, and billing systems. Even if a password is stolen, attackers can’t get access without the second factor.
- A VPN can encrypt all traffic back to your firm’s network, avoiding direct connections over public Wi-Fi.
- Cloud desktops can maintain secure sensitive files in the cloud so client documents aren’t on vulnerable local networks.
- Backup and sync work with automatic file syncing, frequent backup snapshots, and offline access to critical documents in case Wi-Fi or hotspots fail.
- Maintain phishing awareness, especially on mobile where it’s harder to detect with truncated information and distraction-heavy settings. Staff should be suspicious of urgent requests for money or credentials, know how to hover on links to preview destinations, and have the ability to report suspicious emails through a central system.
- Keep basic practices, such as physically securing laptops and phones, not discussing client matters in public spaces, locking up physical files, and using privacy screens on laptops.
Align Mobile Security With Compliance and Insurance
Small firms should ensure that mobile practices meet ethical standards and insurance requrements.
The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct require protection of client information against unathorized access or disclosure, which extends to mobile work. You could violate these rules by using unsecured Wi-Fi or emailing files without encryption.
Your Clients Trust You. Make Sure Your Technology Earns It
From courthouse logins to client meetings, your firm deserves reliable and secure IT support. Let ECS handle your mobile security so you can focus on winning cases, not fighting hackers.
Firms that handle health care, malpractice, or employment law face compliance beyond the ABA. You must safeguard protection health information under HIPAA and personally identifiable information under state privacy laws. Typically, that requires using encrypted storage and transfer for sensitive documents with audit trails to track access to files. Retention policies should apply consistently whether in the office or traveling.
Cyber insurance typcically requires firms to demonstrate basic security practices. These include multi-factor authentication, mobile device management, backup and recovery processes, incident response plans, and employee training programs. Without meeting these requirements, claims for breaches may be delayed or denied.
Outsourcing Mobile Workforce Support
Attorneys and paralegals often don't have the time or expertise to effectively manage device security the go, and an in-house IT staff can be costly. Outsourcing IT to a managed services provider (MSP) can bridge the gap to offer enterprise-level mobile support.
MSPs can be a good fit for small firms, offering predictable costs, proactive protection, legal industry and regulatory expertise, and scalable support. A good MSP can handle technical details to seamlessly secure and support remote work with pre-configured travel kits, mobile device management enforcement, hotspot and Wi-Fi policies, backup management, and incident response.
Taking a proactive approach with an MSP can be more effective than relying on IT only when something fails — which can lead to unpredictable downtime, reactive costs, and vulnerabilities. With outsourced IT, you can focus on clients knowing your mobile setup is secure and accessible.
Start with a FREE IT Consultation from Expert Computer Solutions (ECS). We’ll help uncover weaknesses, strengthen your security, and train your team to spot cyber threats.
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