A Law Firm’s Nightmare – When a £60,000 Fine Isn’t the Real Cost - GDPR Breach

Cybersecurity breaches and GDPR compliance failures

Imagine this: a northern-based law firm, trusted with society’s most sensitive cases, suffers a cyberattack. Hackers gain access through an overlooked administrator account with no multifactor authentication (MFA). From there, they move laterally across the network, exfiltrating 32 GB of client data—including privileged and highly sensitive information.

The breach unfolds

The firm only discovers the attack when the National Crime Agency (NCA) contacts them: client data is circulating on the dark web. But instead of reporting the breach within the 72-hour GDPR requirement, it takes them 43 days to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

In April 2025, the ICO imposes a £60,000 fine. But the real cost lies in the reputational damage—clients entrusting lawyers with family disputes, criminal defence, and fraud cases learn their private information was breached and mishandled. That trust may never fully recover.

The lesson for law firms

Neglecting technical safeguards and delaying breach notification has consequences far beyond financial penalties. It:

• Signals to clients and courts that compliance isn’t taken seriously

• Undermines professional reputation and trust

• Leaves firms vulnerable to further cyberattacks and regulatory scrutiny

How organisations can prevent this

The case is a warning for law firms, professional services, and SMEs handling sensitive personal data. Preventing similar failures means:

• Enforcing timely breach recognition and reporting in line with GDPR

• Working with cybersecurity partners to ensure MFA, access controls, patching, and vulnerability scanning are in place

• Training staff to recognise red flags and escalate breaches immediately—so the 72-hour reporting clock starts when it should

How LAUDIS can help

At LAUDIS, we support law firms and other regulated organisations with practical, people-focused compliance solutions, including:

• Outsourced DPO services – ensuring timely breach reporting and regulatory liaison

• Cybersecurity alignment – working alongside your technical providers to validate and monitor safeguards

• Staff and board training – embedding awareness so human error doesn’t create regulatory risk

  
  

👉 Protect your firm’s reputation and clients’ trust, avoid a GDPR breach. Explore our DPO Services or get in touch to discuss our data protection support packages.