Cyber security for UK law firms.

Business Email Compromise diverting client completion funds is the single biggest financial risk for UK law firms, particularly in conveyancing, where attackers intercept or spoof emails to redirect large payments to fraudulent accounts. Ransomware locking case files mid-matter, targeted phishing against partners and conveyancers, and any compromise of client data that triggers SRA and ICO notification obligations are also major risks. Law firms are attractive targets because they routinely handle large sums of client money and highly confidential case information, and a successful attack can cause both immediate financial loss and lasting damage to client trust.

Advanced email security scans inbound and outbound mail for the tell-tale signs of BEC and conveyancing fraud, such as look-alike domains, spoofed sender addresses and sudden changes to bank details, blocking or flagging suspicious messages before they reach fee-earners or clients. We combine this with MFA on every account, so a stolen password alone isn't enough to access email, and with clear internal procedures requiring verbal confirmation of any change to payment details. Together these layers make it far harder for fraudsters to insert themselves into a transaction, which is how most conveyancing fraud succeeds in the first place.

Law firms hold client funds, highly confidential case data and privileged communications, making them a prime target for both financially motivated criminals and attackers seeking sensitive information. A single BEC incident can result in a client losing their house deposit, while a ransomware attack can freeze active matters and breach professional obligations to clients and courts. The SRA has explicit expectations around cyber security and confidentiality, and failing to meet them can trigger regulatory action as well as reputational damage. Investing in cyber security protects client money, professional reputation and regulatory standing all at once.

Costs depend on firm size, number of fee-earners and which systems you use, particularly your case management platform, so we scope pricing after a short conversation rather than a generic quote. Cyber Shield awareness training, which many firms use to evidence staff training for SRA and Lexcel purposes, starts at £0.99 per user per month on the Team plan, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card needed. Email security, MFA hardening and 24/7 SOC monitoring are quoted per user on a monthly basis, and we always provide a clear proposal before work begins.

Email security and MFA can typically be deployed within one to two weeks with minimal disruption to fee-earning work. Cyber Essentials certification usually takes two to three weeks from starting the self-assessment, assuming Microsoft 365 is reasonably well configured already. Building alignment with Lexcel or SRA cyber security expectations, including policies, training records and incident response procedures, generally takes four to six weeks for a mid-sized firm. We sequence the work so the highest-risk gaps, such as missing MFA or unmonitored email, are closed first, with fuller compliance work following shortly after.

Yes, and it's often more urgent for smaller firms, who are frequently targeted precisely because attackers assume they have weaker controls than larger practices, while still handling significant client funds and sensitive data. Conveyancing fraud in particular doesn't discriminate by firm size — a two-partner high-street practice is just as attractive a target as a large commercial firm if it's handling property transactions. We scale our services to fit smaller firms' budgets and staff numbers, focusing first on the controls that reduce the most risk, such as email security and MFA.

The clearest benefit is protection of client funds and reduced risk of the BEC fraud that has become endemic in conveyancing and other transaction-heavy areas of practice. Beyond that, firms gain clearer alignment with SRA and Lexcel expectations, faster and more confident responses to client security questionnaires, and reduced disruption from ransomware or data loss incidents. Staff also become noticeably better at spotting suspicious emails after structured awareness training, which reduces the human error that causes most incidents. Overall, it protects the trust that client relationships and professional reputation depend on.

General legal IT support is good at managing case management systems, document management and day-to-day technical issues, but it doesn't typically include the 24/7 threat monitoring, BEC-specific email security or incident response experience that law firms genuinely need. Many conveyancing fraud incidents happen at firms who assumed their IT provider was covering security when they were only covering support and infrastructure. We work alongside existing legal IT providers rather than replacing them, taking on security-specific services like email security, monitoring and incident response while they continue managing day-to-day IT.