The High Price of Free Email

Digital technology and internet connectivity allow attorneys and staff to work from almost anywhere. Storing data in cloud-based practice management programs is becoming more common, with the vaunted security of these systems being a major selling point.

But a surprising number of attorneys use free email accounts from vendors such as AOL, Yahoo, and Google in their law practices. While these accounts are attractive because they help small and solo firms reduce overhead — it can't get cheaper than free, right? — they come with serious security risks.

Now that Illinois Supreme Court Rule 11 mandates service via email, it is wise to examine the security of your existing free email account, according to Springfield lawyer Carl Draper, a member of the ISBA's Committee on Legal Technology. Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1 requires that lawyers be competent to practice, which includes keeping abreast of "the benefits and risks of associated technology." Phishing attacks, where a malicious email masks itself as a legitimate email, are common these days. Most target free email accounts.

Draper stresses the importance of having separate business and private email accounts. If you're using free email for work as well as personal use, the likelihood of an attack compromising your network increases, he says. Find out more in the April Illinois Bar Journal.