Secure Email for Lawyers: How To Protect Client Communications

As technology evolves, so do the threats to client confidentiality. For law firms, email remains a primary communication channel. However, it becomes a prime target for cyberattacks and data leaks without proper safeguards.

This guide breaks down email security for law firms and highlights why attorneys need the most secure email communication and methods for protecting sensitive information.

What Is Secure Email?

Secure email refers to email communication that includes safeguards to protect a message's content, attachments, and metadata from unauthorized access, interception, or tampering.

For law firms, secure email communication is essential to maintaining client confidentiality, meeting ethical obligations, and complying with data protection regulations. 

Key features of secure email for lawyers include:

• Encryption

• Authentication protocols

• Access controls

• Compliance with legal privacy standards

Why Do Attorneys Need a Secure Email?

More often than not, lawyer-client communication happens in digital formats, which means having a secure email is essential for protecting confidential communication that contains client and company information. Since private information is easily compromised, stolen, or leaked without safety measures. Attorneys also need email security to meet regulatory compliance standards established to protect patient and client privacy, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).

The American Bar Association (ABA) states that attorneys have an ethical duty to take “competent and reasonable measures” to safeguard client information and contractual commitments to protect confidential information.

Without safeguards in place, lawyer email communications can easily compromise client confidentiality. Whether due to cybersecurity risks like phishing scams and data leaks, a legal professional sending out information to the wrong client, or simply someone on your legal team accidentally pressing “reply all” on an email with sensitive information, email conduct can have serious repercussions. 

In the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.6 states that a lawyer “shall not reveal information relating to the representation of the client unless the client gives consent.”

Can Lawyers Use Regular Emails Like Gmail?

Yes, attorneys can use standard email platforms like Gmail, though client privacy and data security regulations dictate what is permissible when transmitting confidential information. As a rule, don’t use standard email platforms like Gmail for sensitive information unless you know you and the recipient have TLS.

However, a TLS connection requires both the sender and the recipient to use TLS. Thankfully, most email providers, including Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Microsoft Outlook, offer TLS to ensure 100% encryption. 

• With paid Gmail accounts, Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) is used for an even higher level of encryption than TLS. 

• With S/MIME, the message is encrypted rather than the channel; however, the sender and recipient need S/MIME for the message to be successfully sent.

Still, relying solely on default email settings may leave your firm exposed. Let’s explore how to make email communications more secure and compliant.

How To Protect Client Communications Over Email

There are several effective ways to protect legal client communications by email. Using encryption protocols like TLS or S/MIME, choosing secure email providers, and enabling additional protections such as two-factor authentication can help ensure that sensitive legal information stays confidential and compliant.

Protect Your Emails with Reliable Encryption

According to an ABA-sponsored webinar on legal encryption, most attorneys will need to use encryption during their careers to protect confidential information. Unencrypted or poorly protected emails can expose sensitive client information to unnecessary risk, especially when transmitting medical records, financial data, or privileged legal strategies. Make sure you rely on the most secure email encryption and that there are no caveats. 

Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity with a code or app before accessing their email account. Even if a password is compromised, 2FA helps keep your client data safe.

Host Your Business Email on a Dedicated Server

Whether you're an established attorney or starting a new law firm, a dedicated server hosted only for your law firm email is one of the safest ways to protect confidential emails. 

• Select a dedicated server plan from a hosting provider.

• Install your preferred email software (e.g. Microsoft Exchange).

• Connect your domain (www.yourlawfirm.com) to your email server to use a custom lawyer email address.

• Enable encryption (TLS/S/MIME).

• Enable additional protection like firewalls, antivirus protection, and spam filters. 

As a safety measure, you can also restrict POP/IMAP access on your email accounts. POP/IMAP capabilities allow you to sync your lawyer email on your phone and other devices by saving your passwords, but it also leaves you vulnerable to cybercriminals. 

If you need to sync multiple devices to your email and don’t want to turn off this service, relying on multi-factor authentication can help combat potential threats.

Keep Your Servers Up to Date

Out-of-date servers can lead to holes in your security protocols. Regularly updating your firm’s software will help protect your communication from potential vulnerabilities. Managed hosting providers handle all server and security updates and often offer monitoring services as well.

Secure Client Communication Alternatives

If you’d like to bypass email servers altogether, there are other (more secure) ways to communicate with clients. 

A specialized client communication portal will provide additional protection and security not built into typical email servers. This enables attorneys to securely communicate and share private information with clients in an all-in-one platform. 

Many of these accessible client portals even have secure, built-in text messaging for fast communication. Lawyers work in a fast-paced environment and often juggle multiple cases simultaneously, so promptly replying to clients can be tricky. Built-in text messaging is an easy way to answer quick questions and give clients rapid responses without sharing your personal information or risking security. 

Simplify and Secure Client Communication with MyCase

MyCase offers legal professionals a complete platform to streamline, secure, and scale client communication. With built-in encrypted messaging, integrated secure email for lawyers, and a centralized portal, your firm can reduce risk while improving client service.

Ready to simplify and secure your client communications? Try the MyCase risk-free 10-day free trial or schedule a free demo today!