From compliance to resilience – how cybersecurity expectations in the legal sector are changing

As we approach Cyber UK 2026 – in Glasgow from April 21-23 – there is already a clear direction of travel in cybersecurity – and it’s one that law firms in particular can’t afford to ignore.

For years, cybersecurity in the legal sector has been driven largely by compliance. Meeting regulatory requirements, completing client questionnaires, and maintaining policies has been seen as sufficient. But that model is under increasing pressure.

Recent incidents underline the risk, including a cyberattack disclosed this month by a major international law firm, where client data was accessed following a phishing breach.

The conversation is clearly shifting – and fast.

Across the wider cyber landscape, the emphasis is moving from compliance to resilience. Not just: “Do you have the right controls?” but Are you ready when something goes wrong?”

For law firms, this shift is especially significant.

Legal practices hold vast amounts of highly sensitive data, often across multiple systems, offices and third parties. That makes them attractive targets. But more importantly, it means the consequences of a breach go far beyond IT disruption. They affect client trust, professional reputation and, in some cases, regulatory standing.

Compliance frameworks still play an important role. They provide structure and a baseline. But they are not designed to deal with the reality of a live cyber incident.

So how is your ‘Resilience’?

Resilience means your people can recognise a threat and act quickly. It means having incident response plans that are not just written, but tested. It means understanding your critical assets, your vulnerabilities, and how quickly you can recover if systems are compromised. And it means leadership teams treating cybersecurity as a core business risk- not a technical afterthought.

At Cyber UK 2026, we can expect to hear more about evolving threats, emerging technologies and the role of organisations in strengthening national cyber resilience. But for the legal sector, the key question is more immediate:

Are you prepared?

Increasingly, clients are not just asking whether their legal advisers are compliant – they want assurance that they are secure, responsive and resilient.

The firms that will stand out are those that can answer that question with confidence.