Law firms continue to be targets for cyber fraudsters in 2026 as new technology such as AI enables more sophisticated cyber attempts. Lawyers are often targeted by cyber attackers because they deal with sensitive data and handle large amounts of money.
New Government statistics have highlighted the growing scale of cyber threats facing businesses, with more than 612,000 UK businesses (43% of all businesses) reporting a cyber breach or attack over the past 12 months.
DI Dan Giannasi, who heads up the team at the North West Cyber Resilience Centre (NWCRC), said: “We work closely with all businesses, including law firms and professional bodies, across Merseyside to help grow their cyber resilience.
“It’s never been more important for law firms to ensure that every employee understands the risks of cyber breaches and how to protect against them.
“We recommend that every law firm in Merseyside makes cyber resilience a key business priority to protect their business and their clients against cyber attacks.”
Many cyber crimes have an overseas nature, which makes it incredibly difficult to investigate or gain a conviction. This is one of the reasons that the Home Office has funded the NWCRC, which focuses on building cyber resilience through free training, guidance and support.
The Government stats found that phishing attacks have affected 38% of businesses over the past 12 months. Among those businesses that reported a cyber breach, phishing now accounts for 51% of those incidents, up from 45% last year.
On top of that, 37% of businesses have experienced ransomware attacks, while 12% of businesses have experienced an impersonation breach or attack.
It’s really important for individual employees to have access to cyber training. Just one click onto a phishing email can take down a whole IT system, so awareness and insight training is vital for cyber resilience.
The NWCRC offers free 1-2-1 training for law firms for small to medium businesses across the region.
Sign up for more information: https://www.nwcrc.co.uk/mailinglist
Or contact Niomie Haynes, Cyber Resilience Manager: Niomie@nwcrc.co.uk