From October 2025, if your law firm holds a Legal Aid contract, Cyber Essentials certification becomes mandatory. What this means for your firm - and your clients - is huge.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Think of it as a health check for your firm’s digital defences.
Cyber Essentials is a Government-backed scheme that helps you protect your organisation from the most common cyber threats — things like phishing, malware, and unauthorised access. It focuses on five key areas:
- Firewalls and internet gateways
- Secure configuration
- Access control
- Malware protection
- Patch management
Cyber Essentials is about getting the basics right. The National Cyber Security Centre describe Cyber Essentials as “a simple but effective, Government-backed scheme that will help you to protect your organisation, whatever its size, against a whole range of the most common cyber attacks.”
Why should law firms care?
You hold sensitive client data, deal with financial transactions, and are trusted with confidential information every single day. Which makes you a target.
Here’s what we’re seeing:
- Phishing attacks that trick team members into handing over passwords
- Ransomware that locks down systems and demands payment
- Data breaches that expose client information and damage reputations
And it’s not just big firms. Smaller practices are often seen as easier targets, and less protection means more risk.
What’s changing in October 2025?
If your firm holds a Legal Aid contract, you must have Cyber Essentials certification by October 2025 to stay compliant.
While it may sound daunting, it’s also an opportunity to strengthen your defences, build client trust, and show you’re serious about security.
You don’t have to do it alone
Our Cyber Essentials Services are tailored to law firms like yours. We guide you through every step — from identifying gaps to achieving full accreditation — with clear, human advice (no jargon, no judgement).
Let’s talk
Whether you’re already on the journey or just starting to think about it, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us today and let’s make sure your firm is ready — not just for October, but for whatever comes next.
