Legal Budgets Expected to Increase 20 Per Cent on Average in the Next 12 Months

As data security challenges continue to escalate, many law firms and corporate legal departments are upping their efforts to strengthen cyber defences and minimize risks. Nearly nine in 10 lawyers in Canada (87 per cent) recently surveyed by Robert Half Legal said their organization plans to increase spending on cybersecurity-related resources over the next 12 months. None of the respondents planned to decrease spending.

On average, lawyers expect to boost cybersecurity budgets by 20 per cent. In a similar 2017 Robert Half Legal survey, 35 per cent of lawyers anticipated allocating more resources to cybersecurity, with average budget increases of 25 per cent.

Lawyers were asked, "Does your law firm or company plan to increase or decrease its budget on cybersecurity-related tools and services in the next 12 months?" Their responses:

Increase significantly  34%
Increase somewhat     53%
Neither increase nor decrease  11%
Decrease somewhat    0%
Decrease significantly  0%
Don't know  2%
                           
"With the increasing prevalence of cyberattacks and online security issues, many legal organizations are taking proactive measures to better anticipate threats and protect sensitive client data," said Jamy Sullivan, executive director of Robert Half Legal. "Recent laws, such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, also are top concerns for legal teams."

These data privacy mandates are placing more accountability on companies for protecting consumers' personal information, and many will face large fines if they fail to do so, Sullivan added. "Lawyers are collaborating closely with their technology, human resources, marketing and business development colleagues to help ensure their organizations remain compliant and, ultimately, competitive."  

Survey Methodology  
The online survey was developed by Robert Half Legal and conducted by a leading independent research firm. It is based on responses from more than 150 lawyers in Canada who work full time at law firms with 20 or more employees and corporate legal departments with 1,000 or more employees.

About Robert Half Legal
Robert Half Legal is the premier provider of legal staffing and consulting solutions for law firms and corporate legal departments. With North American and global locations, Robert Half Legal provides a customized approach, including managed review, legal project management and eDiscovery services, to help organizations handle constantly changing workloads. The company offers in-demand expertise across practice areas, as well as highly skilled legal professionals on a temporary, project and full-time basis. More information about our full suite of legal staffing and consulting solutions can be found at roberthalf.ca/legal.