Bradley Partner Erin Illman Quoted in Law360 on How In-House Counsel Can Protect Against Cyberthreats

Bradley attorney Erin Illman was quoted in Law360 on how in-house counsel can play a pivotal role in helping businesses prepare for possible data breaches. One aspect often missing in a company’s response plan is why its leaders have chosen to take certain steps if a breach occurs.

Those components are vital to understand because decisions could adversely affect the company in the future if they aren't thought through, explained Illman. She pointed to the ethical obligation of in-house lawyers to advise the company on how to handle the downstream effects of an incident, particularly of a ransomware attack.

"When you're in the midst of it, it's a very stressful and emotional process," Illman said. "You want to have a clear plan in place before it happens."

Every company deals with enormous amounts of data and has technology that is vulnerable to cybersecurity. But often its leaders don't understand the data it keeps. Illman suggests in-house counsel take time to understand their company's data, which includes knowing whether it's on its own server or outsourced to a third-party vendor.

The complete article, “What In-House Counsel Can Do To Fight Cyberthreats,” appeared in Law360 on September 20, 2018.