As more and more depositions and other legal proceedings have been carried out virtually over the last couple years, law firms and attorneys are spending more time thinking about an important theme: Cybersecurity. This is vital for proceedings where sensitive legal information may be shared or disclosed, and ensuring you’re following proper guidelines here will help protect both you and your firm.
At Phoenix Deposition Services, we’re proud to offer the very best video deposition services and many other forms of court reporting or transcription for numerous clients. All our remote services are offered alongside quality security programs that ensure you’re never at-risk. What are some themes we recommend to attorneys and law firms when it comes to maintaining cybersecurity for any remote deposition or related hearing? Here are a few.
Assess Your Risks
First and foremost, it’s important to assess the cybersecurity risks that may be inherent in any given deposition. You’ll want to consider both the type of case and the type of information being shared during the proceeding. Information that may be sensitive or classified, for example, will require a higher level of security than other matters.
Other considerations might include whether any trade secrets will be discussed, if there are any children involved in the case, or if any other information might be used to exploit vulnerabilities. By identifying these risks in advance, you can take steps to mitigate them before they become a problem.
Consider Your Protection
Once you’ve identified the risks present in your case, you’ll need to consider what type of protection you’ll need to put in place. This might include using a virtual private network (VPN) or other encryption methods to secure data transmissions, ensuring that all devices used during the deposition are properly secured, and establishing strict rules for who can access the deposition transcript or video.
Education of Team Members
For any remote deposition that will involve other members of your team, it’s vital that everyone understands the importance of cybersecurity and knows what steps need to be taken to ensure a secure proceeding. This might include training on how to use the VPN or other security measures, establishing clear rules regarding device security and data sharing, and setting expectations for what will happen if there is a breach.
Many of the errors that lead to cybersecurity breaches are human in nature, so it’s important that everyone involved in the deposition understands the risks and knows how to avoid them.
Review Your Processes
After a remote deposition has been completed, it’s also important to review the process and procedures that were used to ensure that they were effective. This might include debriefing with all team members, reviewing the video or transcript for any security issues, and conducting a post-mortem to identify any areas where the process could be improved.
By following these tips, you can help ensure that your next remote deposition is as secure as possible. For more on this, or to learn about our Phoenix court reporters and both the in-person and remote services we offer, speak to our staff at Phoenix Deposition Services today.
