HSM IT ServicesLaw Firms
Law firms in Alberta hold privileged client information, manage trust funds and work against strict court and transaction deadlines. HSM IT Services helps firms protect client confidentiality, prevent wire fraud and keep practice management and document systems running reliably.
Law firms depend on practice management systems, document management, email and secure file sharing to serve clients and meet court and transaction deadlines. Lawyers increasingly work from home, court and client offices, so secure remote access is essential. Small and mid-sized firms often lack in-house IT, and lawyers end up troubleshooting problems instead of billing time. Dependable support and well managed systems allow a firm to focus on its clients.
Lawyers in Alberta have professional obligations to protect client confidentiality, and the Law Society of Alberta expects lawyers to understand and manage the risks of the technology they use. Firms that handle trust funds are particularly attractive to criminals. Real estate and corporate transactions involve large payments, and fraudsters regularly impersonate lawyers, clients or other parties to redirect funds. A compromised mailbox can give an attacker detailed knowledge of a transaction before the fraud occurs.
Ransomware and data theft also pose serious risks. Losing access to client files can mean missed limitation periods or filing deadlines, and stolen documents can harm clients and the firm's reputation. Security controls such as multi-factor authentication, email security, encrypted devices and reliable backups are now basic expectations for firms of any size. Firms also benefit from a documented incident response plan, including how they would notify their insurer, clients and the Law Society if something goes wrong.
Risks we see most
Trust account and wire fraud
Fraudsters impersonate clients, lawyers or counterparties to redirect transaction funds, often using information from a compromised mailbox.
Client confidentiality breaches
Misdirected email, insecure file sharing or stolen devices can expose privileged and confidential client information.
Ransomware
Encrypted document and practice management systems can cause missed deadlines and prevent the firm from serving clients.
Account takeover
Stolen passwords without multi-factor authentication allow attackers to read email, access documents and impersonate lawyers.
Unsecured remote work
Home networks, personal devices and public Wi-Fi can expose client information if remote access is not properly managed.
How HSM IT Services helps
- Support for practice management, document management and accounting applications
- Email security, multi-factor authentication and alerts for suspicious mailbox activity
- Procedures and training to verify payment instructions and stop trust fund fraud
- Encrypted laptops and secure remote access for lawyers working outside the office
- Backups with tested restores so client files remain available
- Incident response planning that accounts for insurer, client and Law Society notification
Rules and standards that apply
- Law Society of Alberta Code of Conduct
- Law Society of Alberta Rules, including trust accounting requirements
- Alberta Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)
- Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) where applicable
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with your lawyer or regulator.
Services for this sector
Managed Detection and Response
Our Managed Detection and Response combines security tooling with analysts who watch your endpoints, identities, email and network for signs of attack. When a real threat appears, we investigate, contain it and guide your recovery, so small teams get enterprise-grade defence without building a security operations centre.
Learn moreEmail Security
Our Email Security protects your organization from phishing, malware, business email compromise and domain spoofing. We combine advanced filtering, sender authentication with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, account protection and staff reporting tools, so fraudulent messages are blocked and suspicious ones are caught quickly.
Learn moreBusiness Application Support
Our Business Application Support looks after the software your organization depends on, from accounting and payroll to practice management, ERP and industry-specific tools. We handle installs, updates, user access, integrations and troubleshooting, and we deal with software vendors on your behalf so your staff do not have to.
Learn moreIncident Response
Our Incident Response helps organizations contain and recover from ransomware, business email compromise and other cyber incidents. We investigate what happened, remove the attacker, restore systems and help you coordinate with insurers, legal counsel and privacy regulators, then strengthen defences so it does not happen again.
Learn moreQuestions we hear
How do you help prevent wire fraud on real estate files?
We reduce the chance of a mailbox being compromised through multi-factor authentication, email filtering and monitoring for suspicious rules or logins. We also help you set procedures so payment instructions are always confirmed by phone using known contact details, and we train staff and lawyers to recognize the warning signs of impersonation.
Can you support our practice management software?
Yes. We support the computers, servers, network and Microsoft 365 environment your practice software runs on, and we work directly with your software vendor on application issues. Whether your system is hosted in the cloud or on a local server, we make sure it is secure, backed up and available.
What should our firm do if we suspect a breach?
Call us as soon as possible and avoid deleting anything. We help contain the incident, secure accounts and investigate what was accessed. You should also contact your insurer early, since many policies require notice and provide breach support. We help gather the facts you need for decisions about notifying clients, the Law Society and the privacy commissioner.