The legal profession in the digital age
Faced with an increasingly cosmopolitan and mobile clientele, lawyers and legal professionals are seeing their mandates become more and more complex (interactivity of the fields of law, multiplication of potentially competent jurisdictions, increase in contracts and situations with foreign elements, development of international bi- and multilateral regulations, etc.) and require an increasingly meticulous analysis and more specialized research for this type of mandate.
The position of Switzerland, and Geneva in particular, on the international scene, especially in view of the attractiveness of its financial center, concentrates the situations requiring the advice of lawyers established and practicing in this country. But not only: Legal professionals and lawyers practicing abroad are also concerned.
In order to be able to perform this analysis properly, legal professionals are increasingly dependent on technological tools and in particular on current IT tools (digital databases, emails, "Cloud" services), thus increasing the risks generated by various threats that are more and more diversified and accessible to malicious individuals who are rampant in the digital world, from identity theft to cybercrime.
The legal professional must therefore be much more than a legal specialist today: he must be, for his clients, an advisor, a compliance officer, an investigator, a computer scientist and a social network specialist.
Protecting and defending the interests of clients in today's digital world is therefore increasingly complex for lawyers and legal professionals. In order to guarantee a quality service to their clients, they must surround themselves with trusted partners, capable of providing indispensable support in the overall management of their cases.
The challenges of investigations and forensics
WIN's investigations department enables lawyers and other legal professionals to identify potential risks and threats that may exist in a case, help them identify the causes and gather the evidence necessary to support a client's case. Investigations can also be used to uncover potential adversaries or other persons or entities that may be involved in the case.
Lawyers can also be assisted by technical support in identifying the legal issues that may arise in a case and advising their clients on the best strategy. Investigation can also be useful in uncovering potential or proven conflicts of interest that may weaken their clients' position or influence the way they advise them.
Our accreditations with the authorities allow us to draft and provide investigation reports that can be used as evidence in litigation.
WIN's extensive international network of first-class contacts also allows us to carry out investigations and gather quality information, also abroad.
Online reputation
Our digital marketing specialists are experts in e-reputation management, the process of monitoring and managing the online reputation of a person or entity. Both upstream and during litigation, these tools help monitor and manage any negative or damaging information about the client that may be published online, as well as any potential threats or risks that may exist in the digital world.
In addition, lawyers can also use our expertise in e-reputation to help their clients (re-)build and maintain a positive online reputation, which can be beneficial in particular during administrative (residence permits) or financial (banking KYC) procedures.
Security and confidentiality
Lawyers must ensure that all data or information collected in the management of their mandates is encrypted and stored securely, and in compliance with data protection standards (in particular according to GDPR and DPA rules). In addition, lawyers must also ensure that access to data is strictly limited to those authorized to have access.
WIN's legal and IT teams have put in place the necessary protocols (internal compartmentalization of files, exclusion of external service providers, use of private servers, provision of secure databases, etc.) in order to guarantee both the level of confidentiality required by legal professionals, while maintaining ease of use and interaction.
We also offer legal studies, pentests (penetration tests) or IT audits, in order to reduce the risks of data leakage, and to integrate more easily the best practices in the management of digital data.
Are you a legal professional? Contact us to be assisted in your mandates and in your practice.