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Industries

Cybersecurity for Law Firms and Advisors

Confidentiality you can prove

Whether you run a law firm, a tax practice, an audit firm, or a management consultancy: your clients entrust you with their most sensitive information – and that is exactly what makes you attractive to attackers. Effective cybersecurity for law firms and advisors starts with an honest assessment: a penetration test from Rootsektor shows how well your firm is protected – against data leaks, email fraud, and ransomware, for example – and delivers concrete measures instead of guesswork.

  • Fixed price after scoping
  • Free retest
  • Quote within 24 hours
Request a pentest quote Schedule a confidential call

Challenges

Cybersecurity for law firms: what attackers are after

  • Challenge 1

    Confidential client matters

    Briefs, contracts, tax and financial data, audit files, and transaction documents are subject to professional or contractual confidentiality. A data leak is therefore never just a data protection incident – it strikes at the heart of your professional practice and your clients’ trust.

  • Challenge 2

    Email compromise and CEO fraud

    Attackers take over a mailbox, read along unnoticed for weeks, and strike at the right moment – with altered bank details in an invoice, a forged payment instruction in an ongoing matter, or an “urgent” transfer request that appears to come from a partner.

  • Challenge 3

    Firm IT that has evolved over time

    Practice management software, document management, DATEV workstations (accounting and tax software widely used in Germany), the connection to the beA (the special electronic attorney mailbox provided by the German Federal Bar), Microsoft 365, dictation solutions, and remote access for home offices and IT service providers – built up over the years and rarely tested as a whole. Every interface is a potential entry point.

How well protected is your firm?

In a confidential initial consultation, we clarify which systems and processes carry the greatest risk in your firm – and which scope makes sense.

Schedule a call

Benefits

Benefits of penetration testing for law firms

A pentest answers the question no scanner can: What could an attacker actually achieve in your firm?

  • Protect client data

    We check whether unauthorized persons – from outside or with a compromised account – can access files, content in your document management system (DMS), mailboxes, or backups.

  • Make payment fraud harder

    Weaknesses in email security, approval processes, and callback procedures become visible before a manipulated payment instruction goes through.

  • Protect deadlines and availability

    Closing ransomware attack paths reduces the risk that deadlines, appointments, and client communication fail because of encrypted systems.

  • Demonstrate due diligence

    The report and test certificate document to clients, insurers, and auditors that an independent party has tested your IT – not the service provider that manages it.

Services

Our services for law firms and advisors

  • Network & Infrastructure

    Internal networks, file servers, DMS, backup systems, and remote access – including the question of how far an attacker can get from a single workstation.

  • Microsoft 365 & Azure Review

    Email, Teams, and SharePoint – MFA, Conditional Access, forwarding rules, sharing, and protection against mailbox takeovers.

  • Web Applications

    Client portals, virtual data rooms, upload portals for documents, and online appointment booking – with a focus on access rights and data separation.

  • Security Awareness & Phishing Simulation

    Realistic phishing and CEO fraud scenarios for your entire team – from partners to support staff – combined with practical awareness training.

  • Social Engineering & Physical Testing

    Reception, file rooms, meeting rooms, and phone – we test whether unauthorized persons can gain access or obtain information through deception.

  • Dark Web Monitoring

    Using our own applications, we automatically monitor the dark web and notify you when credentials or data from your firm turn up there – after that, we support you with countermeasures.

Regulations & standards

Professional rules, data protection, and client requirements

There is no general legal obligation for law firms to conduct penetration tests. However, professional rules and data protection law require appropriate safeguards – and the GDPR explicitly requires them to be reviewed regularly.

  • Confidentiality

    § 203 StGB & professional rules

    Lawyers, notaries, tax advisors, and auditors are subject to a duty of confidentiality backed by criminal penalties under § 203 StGB (German Criminal Code, professional secrecy). If you involve service providers who may gain knowledge of client secrets, you must commit them to confidentiality in text form – as set out, for example, in § 43e BRAO (Federal Lawyers’ Act) and § 62a StBerG (Tax Advisory Act).

    • Confidentiality undertaking in text form before the project starts
    • Access limited to what is necessary for evidence
    • Client content redacted in the evidence

  • Data protection

    GDPR (Art. 32)

    Law firms often process particularly sensitive data – from health data in medical malpractice cases to information about criminal offenses. Art. 32 GDPR requires measures appropriate to the risk and a process for regularly testing their effectiveness.

    • Evidence of effectiveness testing (Art. 32(1)(d))
    • Documentation for data protection officers

  • Evidence

    Client audits & ISO/IEC 27001

    Corporate clients – especially those that fall under NIS2 themselves – increasingly review the security of their service providers. For consultancies without a statutory professional secrecy obligation, contractual confidentiality obligations are what count most. In addition, the GeschGehG (German Trade Secrets Act) only protects trade secrets if appropriate confidentiality measures are in place – which is why your clients expect this protection from their advisors as well.

    • Test certificate for supplier audits
    • Evidence for ISO/IEC 27001:2022, Annex A 8.8

How a penetration test at your firm works

Discreet, predictable, and coordinated with your deadlines, appointments, and IT service provider – using the same methodology we use to test organizations across all industries.

Confidential initial consultation

We clarify locations, the systems you use, service providers, and your goals – if you wish, under a confidentiality agreement from the very start.

Scoping & approvals

We define scope, exclusions, and testing times in writing. We only test third-party systems with the operator’s approval.

Fixed-price quote

For your penetration test, you receive a fixed-price quote within 24 hours of scoping (on business days) – with no hidden costs.

Testing

We test outside your peak hours and keep your contact person informed throughout. We report critical vulnerabilities immediately – during the test, by phone or email to the agreed contact person.

Report & debrief

An executive summary for firm management, a technical section for your IT service provider, and concrete remediation recommendations – if you wish, we explain the results in a final debrief.

Retest & test certificate

After remediation, we retest free of charge and issue a test certificate.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about penetration testing for law firms

Didn’t find your question? Call us at +49 2932 465265-0 or email info@rootsektor.de.

How do you protect confidential client data during the test?

Before the project starts, we commit to confidentiality in text form – and we’re happy to use your own template under § 43e BRAO or § 62a StBerG. During the test, we demonstrate vulnerabilities with as little insight into files and mailboxes as possible; we redact client content in our evidence.

Our IT service provider runs regular scans – isn’t that enough?

Regular scans are good baseline protection: they report known vulnerabilities and typical misconfigurations. But only a manual penetration test shows whether they add up to a real attack path – for example, from a phishing email to access to your DMS. Then there is independence: otherwise, whoever manages your IT would be testing their own work. Rootsektor is independent of vendors and service providers.

Do you also test beA and DATEV environments?

The central beA infrastructure is the responsibility of the German Federal Bar (Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer), and the data center services are DATEV’s responsibility – we only test third-party systems with the approval of the respective operator. The focus is on your own systems: the workstations where beA and DATEV applications are used, the handling of cards, certificates, and PINs, and your firm’s network and remote access.

Will the test disrupt firm operations?

We set the testing period together – preferably during off-peak hours and not in the middle of a deadline-heavy phase. Anything that could slow down systems or take them offline only happens with your explicit consent.

Do you also test how our team responds to phishing and CEO fraud?

Yes. With realistic phishing emails, phone calls, or forged payment instructions, we test whether your approval and callback processes work. By default, the results are evaluated anonymously – the focus is on processes, not on individuals.

How often should a law firm have a penetration test performed?

There is no fixed legal interval. A proven approach is an annual test plus an additional test after major changes, such as a new DMS, a move to the cloud, a firm merger, or a change of IT service provider.

Schedule a confidential initial consultation

Tell us how your firm works – we’ll propose a scope that fits your risks and your budget. For penetration tests and security assessments, you receive a fixed-price quote after scoping; dark web monitoring is quoted individually.

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For questions or a callback

We will get in touch and, if you wish, sign the non-disclosure agreement before our first conversation – including on the basis of your own template.

We use your information solely to process your request. For more information, see our privacy policy. Please do not send passwords or login credentials through this form.