The tech industry is getting bigger by the day. While the booming sector opens up new opportunities and is of great help in enhancing services and increasing efficiency, it also offers unique and creative ways for people to take advantage of others. Wired noted in 2019 that some of the most significant cybersecurity issues include supply chain attacks that acted as trustworthy software updates, but were actually destructive malware and ransomware that encrypted data and then demand a ransom for decryption. In our article on ‘Ransomware Attack Disrupts Court Cases and Deadlines TrialWorks’ it was reported that a recent hack rendered lawyers unable to access critical legal documents for a certain period. As a result, multiple hearings were delayed as law firms were left with no choice but to ask for an extension in filing reports that could support their cases.
As technology continues to change all of the world’s industries, a new breed of crime related to technology is constantly on the rise. Considering that the industry is relatively new, and technological crimes have only recently intensified, federal and state governments are still in the process of formulating overarching laws and policies that could secure everyone from these kinds of crimes. As such, cybersecurity attorneys are needed more than ever.
Becoming a cybersecurity attorney
While being a lawyer is already a huge undertaking, specializing in cybersecurity is an even bigger one considering the rapid changes in technology. It is imperative that lawyers have a deep understanding of their field of specialization, or at the very least are well-acquainted with its nuances. Legal consultants Special Counsel double down on this idea, claiming that with the constant innovation in the tech industry, it is all the more important to have knowledgeable attorneys that can protect users.
Take IT courses
While being a cybersecurity lawyer doesn’t mean that you have to have a computer-related degree, it pays to have a deep understanding of the basics. Not only will these classes provide you with an idea of where your future clients might be coming from, but they will also help you get a grasp of what you will be dealing with as you go along.
Get hands-on experience
The American Bar Association suggests that while most lawyers usually work with IT specialists, it is best to have as much hands-on training as your budget and time permits. Though training is typically expensive, there are short and virtual training courses available for all sorts of budgets and schedules. Hands-on training will allow you to have a better understanding of how things work in the IT world and save the IT specialist you’ll be working with in the future from having to explain everything to you.
Take privacy and cybersecurity courses
Harvard Business Review claim that data privacy and cybersecurity are converging, as more and more people rely on technology for storing their personal data. This is also thanks to the emergence of big data and machine learning that can extract valuable insights from vast amounts of data gathered daily. Through these advancements, firms and companies are now able to access consumer information unauthorized. While cybersecurity lawyers must know the basics of technology as they will be working with IT experts, ample attention must also be devoted to keeping up with current privacy and cybersecurity laws.
