Considerations for Physical Security for Lawyers and Their Teams
Whether an angry client, the threat of suicide, stalking, harassment, disgruntled employees, or a distraught party, law firms should have the knowledge and plans in place to help keep everyone safe and secure. The following are a few resources to help in your preparedness planning.
From the NC State Bar
“If lawyers need support during this or any other crisis, please know that help is available. The State Bar’s Lawyer Assistance Program (NCLAP) is a free and confidential resource available to lawyers, judges, and law students. NCLAP can also help connect lawyers with local trauma specialists. Additionally, many lawyers have access to no-cost counseling sessions through the North Carolina Bar Association’s BarCARES program (free to NCBA members and through many judicial district bars).”
Safety First – Tips for Law Firms
- 10 Safety Tips for Law Firms, Attorneys and Legal Professionals (attorneyjournals.com)
- What To Do When Your Client Threatens to Hurt You
- Safety Tips for Lawyers (americanbar.org)
- Safety and Security in the Law Firm: Threats from Clients (with 10 good safety tips) – (myparalegalplace.com)
- Personal safety for lawyers | How to Protect Yourself (attorneyatwork.com)
- Wisconsin Lawyer: The Threat of Violence: What Wisconsin Lawyers Experience (wisbar.org)
- Having a Plan in Place Could Save a Life – Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company (lawyersmutualnc.com)
Security Systems
In addition to keypad or fob entry, security cameras, and offices with locking doors, you can also have an active shooter system. This is generally a button or app which triggers a silent alarm, consisting of a flashing light. Like a fire drill, law offices should have drills so that people know what to do and where to go until they are given the “all clear” notification.
Active Shooter
Resources from the FBI and CISA on drills, assessment, de-escalation techniques and more.
Privacy Considerations
If you have ever done a web search for your name or cell phone number, the results may shock and dismay you. With little effort you can unearth “public” information including the names of your relatives, your last 7 addresses, property ownership and more. Many of the sites that have this information beckon to offer more for a small fee. With $5 and a social security number anyone can get more than enough information to perpetrate identity theft. So, what can you do?
- Remove yourself from public record aggregators. You can take the time to do this one by one (and more here) or pay to have it done for you by RPI or Reputation Defender.
- Freeze your credit report with TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian.
- When filling out a form you may be asked for your social security number, age, gender, or other private information. You don’t always need to provide it.
- Request Google remove pictures of your home or office from Google Maps.
Social Media
Thanks to movies like The Social Dilemma and The Great Hack, most people are very aware that personal use of social media is a huge privacy concern. Other than getting off the platform (“private” platforms like Parler and Snapchat are not private either) here are a few ways to be smart about using the platforms:
- Check all your privacy settings in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram (more tips here).
- Do not accept friend or follow requests from complete strangers.
- Make use of blocking features and report suspicious behavior.
- Do not share personal information, like the names of your children (pictures of them), pictures of your house or house number, and pictures of your vacation until you have returned home. The problem is that many people document their personal lives to their “friends”, but once it goes online it is no longer yours – and it is forever.
- Go through the photos you have posted – or been tagged in- in your social media platforms and delete them if you think they may endanger the privacy of you or your family.