Cyber Essentials for Solicitors

Law firms handle sensitive client data daily, making them prime targets for cyberattacks. Cyber Essentials Certification is a crucial step in safeguarding your solicitors practice. At 4N6, we help legal professionals across the UK achieve certification, ensuring compliance and data security.

Cyber Essentials Certified Badge Cyber Essentials Certified Plus Badge

Secure Your Law Firm with Cyber Essentials Certification for Solicitors

We're committed to assist the legal sector in improving their cybersecurity. Many solicitors rely on external IT services and whilst they can ensure you have appropriate systems to get your work done, they're not often specialists in security. We've found many solicitors not yet meeting the basic requirements of Cyber Essentials including by running outdated software and using administrative accounts for day-to-day tasks.

Regulated professionals, including inter alia solicitors, sometimes complete the Cyber Essentials self-assessment questionnaire without understanding the technical details. This unfortunately causes delays in certification being awarded due to clarifying questions, further information and system changes being required. We can assist you to ensure your systems are compliant and the questionnaire responses are sufficiently detailed for a successful result.

Why Choose Cyber Essentials?

A Cyber Essentials Certificate for Solicitors demonstrates that your firm takes cybersecurity seriously. It helps:

Enhance your security, reduce cyber threats and prevent data breaches
Build client trust and credibility
Ensure compliance with industry regulations, including those in the legal sector

Improve cyber insurance eligibility and potentially reduce premiums as it has been demonstrated to reduce cyber insurance claims by 92%

Cyber Essentials is the government-backed baseline cyber security standard developed by the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ. The IASME Consortium deliver the scheme in conjunction with a national network of licensed certification bodies, which includes 4N6.

The following regulatory, representation and funding bodies in the legal sector each provide advice on cybersecurity as part of their standards or codes of conduct:

Solicitors Regulation Authority

The Code of Conduct requires that "You safeguard money and assets entrusted to you by clients and others." (Rule 4.2 for individuals; Rule 5.1 for firms)

The SRA has interpreted this as everyone should be alive to the threat of cybercrime and all firms should take steps to eliminate or mitigate this risk.

Eliminating such a risk is prohibitively expensive and practically impossible. Fortunately, Cyber Essentials has been shown to reduce cyber insurance claims by 92%. That's a 12-fold reduction in risk by putting in place simple and effective measures. We can help you to identify what changes you need, and provide guidance and support to further improve your cybersecurity. We can also assist you with applying for certification after all the requirements have been met, so you can be confident you're safeguarding your clients money and information.

The Law Society Lexcel Legal Practice Quality Mark

The Lexcel standard v6.1 says practices "should be accredited against Cyber Essentials" (Requirement 3.2). We can help you gain this certification by identifying where you do not currently meet the standard and advising you how to put in place any changes prior to applying for certification.

Additionally the Lexcel requirements says practices must have policies on handling personal data, information management and security, use of email, website management, internet access and the use of social media. We can assist you in formulating and refining such policies to ensure they are appropriate to your organisation, technically coherent and legally compliant.

The Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme

The Law Society CQS requirements state practices "should be accredited against Cyber Essentials" (Requirement 3.2). Whilst this is currently optional, the guidance indicates practices may be required to explain why they have chosen not to implement a requirement.

Additionally the CQS states you must have a business continuity plan and policies covering managing personal data, and information management and security. We can help you put in place these policies and plans to ensure they meet the needs of your organisation and are technically appropriate.

Legal Aid Agency Specialist Quality Mark

The guidance for the Specialist Quality Mark (v3 Oct 2022) states:
"As part of meeting F6.1, it is recommended that you have in place some form of certification under the Cyber Essentials Scheme. Cyber Essentials is a Government backed scheme that will help you to protect your organisation, whatever its size, against a whole range of the most common cyber-attacks."

We can help you to identify what changes are required for you to meet the standards of this scheme and assist you with the process of applying for certification, including formulating responses to the self-assessment questionnaire.

Under requirement F6.1, you also need to have in place an information handling policy. We can assist you in formulating and refining such a policy to ensure you have in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect information.

Our Certification Services

At 4N6, we offer a simple and efficient way to obtain your Cyber Essentials Certification for Solicitors. We offer two levels of certification:

Cyber Essentials - A certified self-assessment to verify your security measures.
Cyber Essentials Plus - Includes an independent audit and vulnerability testing, either remotely or on-site.

How Does the Cyber Essentials Certification Process Work?

The process to achieve Cyber Essentials can simply be described as:

understanding the requirements across the five controls listed below
putting in place any required changes
completing the verified self-assessment

It is quite straightforward - the main challenge is understanding what changes may be needed and explaining how your firm complies with the standard. That's where our experts come in. We can assist you by performing a gap analysis, explaining how to meet the requirements, verifying that any changes have been successfully applied and assisting with formulating the responses to the questionnaire.

Security Updates

Prevent cyber criminals using the vulnerabilities they discover in software as an access point to your systems

Malware Protection

Identify and immobilise viruses or other malicious software before it has a chance to cause harm

Firewalls & Routers

Creates a security filter between the internet and your network

User Access Control

Who can access your data and services and what level of access they have

Secure Configuration

Minimises the avenues through which a cyber criminal can find a way in

Review the requirements, guidance and the questions

Before 28 April 2025

Cyber Essentials: Requirements for IT Infrastructure v3.1

Cyber Essentials Readiness Tool

Cyber Essentials Knowledge Hub

Question Set (PDF) - Montpellier

Question Set (Excel) - Montpellier

On or after 28 April 2025

Cyber Essentials: Requirements for IT Infrastructure v3.2

Cyber Essentials Readiness Tool

Cyber Essentials Knowledge Hub

Question Set (PDF) - Willow

Question Set (Excel) - Willow

What Does Cyber Essentials Certification Cost for Solicitors?

The Cyber Essentials Certification cost varies depending on firm size and complexity. At 4N6, we provide:

Transparent pricing with no hidden fees
Affordable Cyber Essentials Certificate Costs for Solicitors

Guidance on cost-effective solutions

Cyber Essentials Assessment Only

This for the assessment only and will be carried out to the standards set by the National Cyber Security Centre and IASME. We recommend this option only if you have understood the requirements and are confident you meet them. Large practices with internal IT teams may be successful using the assessment only route. Firms with external IT teams or self-supported systems are recommended to seek assistance using our other services prior to submitting their assessment questionnaire.

The assessment fees are decided by IASME and are subject to adjustment from year to year. Should you fail the assessment, you are permitted two working days in which remedy any outstanding items then re-submit. If you fail on re-submission, a new assessment can be carried out and you'd need to pay the assessment fee again.

Pricing

Micro (1-9 people) - £320
Small (10-49 people) - £440
Medium (50-249 people) - £500
Large (250+ people) - £600

We aim to get your assessment account created on the IASME portal within 24 hours of your order.

Pre-check and Cyber Essentials Assessment

We will check your questionnaire prior to submission to ensure its compliance with the Cyber Essentials standard, giving you the opportunity to expand your answers and put in place any further changes. You'll still need to understand the requirements, put in place any changes required and draft the initial questionnaire responses. This service may be suitable where you are confident the security of your systems fulfil most of the criteria, but need assistance describing how you meet the standard.

Pricing

Micro (1-9 people) - £510
Small (10-49 people) - £620
Medium (50-249 people) - £675
Large (250+ people) - £750

Gap Analysis, Remediation Advice and Cyber Essentials Assessment

This service is most suitable should you be unsure how closely your firm meets the requirements. You may have an external IT support service that should keep everything up to date, but they may not be familiar with the details of Cyber Essentials.

We'll ask some initial questions by email and arrange an online meeting to discuss how your systems are setup. If you have an external IT support service, it can be helpful for them to also attend this meeting as they may readily know some of the technical details. We'll then identify where you may not currently meet the standard and provide guidance on how to implement any remedial actions. We'll work with you to verify the changes have been effective, and assist with formulating the responses to the questionnaire.

Pricing

Micro (1-9 people) - £660
Small (10-49 people) - £840
Medium (50-249 people) - £990
Large (250+ people) - Contact us for a quote

Cyber Essentials Plus

The Cyber Essentials Plus Certification Cost is higher due to the required testing, but it offers stronger security assurance. Cyber Essentials certification is a pre-requisite to CE Plus, and we can provide an all-in-one service to ensure your cyber security meets the standard.

Cyber Security

Advanced Diagnostics

INCIDENT Investigations

Digital Forensics

Cyber Essentials for Solicitors

Secure Your Law Firm with Cyber Essentials Certification for Solicitors

Why Choose Cyber Essentials?

Our Certification Services

How Does the Cyber Essentials Certification Process Work?

Security Updates

Malware Protection

Firewalls & Routers

User Access Control

Secure Configuration

What Does Cyber Essentials Certification Cost for Solicitors?

Cyber Essentials Assessment Only

Pricing

Pre-check and Cyber Essentials Assessment

Pricing

Gap Analysis, Remediation Advice and Cyber Essentials Assessment

Pricing

Cyber Essentials Plus

Pricing

Get Certified with 4N6