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Remote and hybrid work for law firms
A lawyer needs a file from home, and an old shortcut is still open to the internet
Working from home or from court should feel like working from the office. And it should never mean a door left open to the internet.
Ask Tony for a free 30-minute insurer readiness review.
What you can count on
- HuntressManaged EDR on every computer we manage
- BitLockerfull-disk encryption managed through Intune
- 24/7a person answers (604) 813-7881
What happens
Illustrative, not a client story. This is a made-up sketch, built from public notices. It is not about a Benson Hunt client.
A lawyer working from home needs a file from the office. Years ago, someone set up the firm’s router so that remote desktop could be reached from outside. It works, so nobody thinks about it.
Another lawyer finds the connection slow, so they copy the client folder to a laptop and a personal cloud account to get through the week. A few weeks later, the laptop is left in a taxi.
None of this was reckless in the moment. Each step was an ordinary fix for an ordinary problem. Together they leave client files in places the firm cannot see, protect or recover.
The public notices behind this sketch
- A 2021 Law Society of BC advisory lists lost or misplaced records or devices among the top four kinds of reported breach. Read the advisory
- The Law Society of BC’s December 2020 notice recommends avoiding public Wi-Fi for confidential work and being careful about where screens and printouts can be seen. Read the notice
- Its cloud checklist suggests informed client consent, and notice if data is stored outside Canada, which is one reason client files should not drift into personal cloud storage. Cloud checklist
A door left open
Remote desktop facing the internet is a well known way in.
A secured path
Staff reach the server through a gateway with multi-factor sign-in.
Why it happens
In plain words, and with nobody to blame.
A door left open
Remote desktop reachable from the internet is a well known way in for attackers. It often goes unnoticed because it works.
Files copied to get by
Opening files across a VPN can be slow, so people copy them to their own devices. That sidesteps the document system, the backups and the privacy rules.
Devices we cannot see
Personal computers and home routers cannot be patched or checked by the firm. A lost laptop or phone is a quiet way for client email to leave.
What fixes it
The goal is simple: the same way of working from home as from the office, and no way in that is open to everyone.
- Remote desktop never exposed to the internet. Access goes through a secured gateway with multi-factor sign-in, so the server itself is not facing the internet.
- Apps run next to the data. Where it suits the firm, lawyers work in remote desktop sessions on the firm’s own server. The software runs beside the files and only the screen travels, which is usually faster than copying files back and forth. Ask us whether that suits your firm.
- Multi-factor sign-in on every remote way in. Email, the gateway and the tools that hold client files.
- Firm laptops that are looked after. Huntress Managed EDR on every computer we manage, with 24/7 monitoring. With Microsoft 365 Business Premium, our standard for law firms under 300 users, laptops get BitLocker full-disk encryption managed through Intune, and Conditional Access can require a managed device before anyone reaches client files. We recommend weekly patching.
- A real firewall, and separate lanes. A Cisco Meraki MX firewall with Advanced Security, sized to your internet speed. We recommend Layer 3 PoE switches and VLANs, and we can set them up, so remote users land in their own lane with only the access they need.
- Backups that cover the server. 3-2-1 backups protect what lives on the server. Files copied to a home computer are not part of that, which is one more reason to keep them on the server.
- Licensing in plain words. Remote desktop sessions need their own RDS CALs, on top of the Windows Server access licenses (CALs) that people and devices need to connect to the servers. We confirm exactly what you need for your setup.
Working alongside an in-house team
Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP, an Edmonton law firm, works with us alongside its in-house IT on a Citrix environment upgrade.
Questions we help you answer
Ask us which of these matter most for your firm.
- Which devices touch client email, including personal phones and tablets? If one is lost, can it be wiped? Microsoft Intune comes with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, our standard for law firms under 300 users, so a lost device can be wiped.
- Is client email encrypted when it needs to be? Microsoft Purview Message Encryption comes with Business Premium too, for sensitive email. And how do clients send you large files?
- Where else are client files copied to: desktops, USB drives, personal cloud storage?
- What would a lawyer do on a court day with only a phone?
This is IT guidance, not legal advice. Questions about client consent, confidentiality and where data may be stored are for your firm’s own lawyer and your law society.
Why it matters, in plain words
The tech behind this page, and why it’s there. See all the plain guides.
Multi-factor sign in
Why a stolen password shouldn’t open a lawyer’s inbox
Passwords leak. A second check on a phone or a security key stops most stolen passwords from working.
Business firewall
Why the internet company’s router isn’t a firewall
It connects you. A business firewall inspects traffic, stops known attacks and keeps guests off the firm’s network.
DNS filtering
Why a bad link can fail before the page loads
Every web visit starts with a lookup. Known bad sites are blocked right there, in the office and on laptops.
Remote work questions we hear
Is a VPN enough?
A VPN helps, but it is one piece. It still needs multi-factor sign-in, patching on the VPN device, and devices that are looked after. A VPN can also be slow for big files, which is often when people start copying them.
Can lawyers use their own computers at home?
It can be done, but a computer we cannot patch or check is a risk we cannot see. Ask us how a remote desktop session can keep the files on the firm’s server, so the screen is all that reaches the home computer.
What about public Wi-Fi?
The Law Society of BC advises avoiding public Wi-Fi for confidential work. Multi-factor sign-in and a secured connection help, but the simplest rule is the safest one: wait, or use a more private connection.
Do you host remote desktop for us?
Ask us. Remote desktop sessions on your own server are one option we talk through, and each session needs the right licensing. We will tell you plainly what suits your firm.