As an attorney, you may be hearing and acting on people's secrets, sensitive personal information, and heightened emotions. The need for privacy and security can be critical. Not only do you need to protect the information your clients give you, but you also may need to protect their identity. You also have to protect the personnel employed by your firm. Therefore, consider security measures like those below.
Place Security Guards at Front Desk
In many law firms, a receptionist or administrative assistant sits at the front desk. For security reasons, it may be better to have security guards stationed at the front desk instead. They can keep a running logs of guests who are in and out of the office, asking them to sign in and out. They can request ID or request that a call be placed to the person they're visiting before someone is allowed into the office.
Consider Security Access Cards
Whether you require all employees to have identification badges or just those with access to sensitive client information, security access cards are a wise tool. You may ask that ID badges be shown to security guards at the desk, or only require that they're used to get into certain rooms. Security cards may even contain chips or strips that can be swiped or scanned before certain areas are entered.
So that they're less likely to be forged, think about adding photos or colors to security access cards. This may end up deterring some bad actors.
Monitor Network Access
People with nefarious aims could be trying to hack into your network and access documents regarding certain clients. For this reason, if you haven't already, work with the IT team to secure your computers from these kinds of intrusions. You should also personally be monitoring network access throughout the week to catch abnormal access times or repeated attempts to get into certain files.
Monitoring is particularly important if you allow partners and clerks to work on cases from home. Their passwords could be compromised, so watch for unusual behavior.
Talk to Personnel
Although your firm's employee manual lays out rules regarding privacy and security, it's smart to continually share and talk about what is expected. That can keep information and requirements in everyone's minds so that there is little confusion about what is permitted.
The integrity of your law firm depends in part on your ability to secure and protect clients and employees. Work with security firms and your team to make that a priority.
For more information about access control and security, talk to representatives at companies like Arapahoe County Security Center Inc.
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