the chief
Message from
services that could diagnose what is
wrong with a person on the basis of the
symptoms they report and feedback
from probes and strap on instruments
supplied direct to consumers, and then
possibly control a drone that could be
dispatched to operate! Equally, it is
not impossible to imagine online legal
advice being delivered on the basis of
documents fed into software capable of
analysing the language and apply the
latest legislation.
I suppose the question you would need
to ask yourself, in these circumstances,
is – would you trust the treatment/advice
enough to rely on it without any human
intervention at all?
But there is one further element of
uncertainty that arises from our hugely
increased reliance on digital solutions –
the ability of those with less benign intent
to exploit its vulnerabilities.
In the last magazine, I set out some of the changes that we,
and other organisations like us, have needed to implement to
stay at the forefront of client care and to be recognised as a
leading law firm. Inevitably, changes we make in today’s world
tend to revolve around IT, and with us that has meant large scale
investment in new software called Peppermint.
IT changes can be scary for various
reasons. Some of our concerns will be
about the pace of the environment in
which we now work and spend our time.
Some of the issues will be about the
radical ways it may affect our jobs. For
example, will the full advent of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) mean that some parts of
what we do will no longer need humans
to deliver them? IT experts talk about
AI being capable of so much more than
4
the human brain, capable of analysing
vast amounts of data quickly and more
accurately than we can. Algorithms,
built in to certain types of software,
can look for trends and patterns in all
types of activity that humans may never
discern, and then apply the results to
give solutions that would have been
unimaginable 5 years ago. What place is
there in such a world for professionals?
It is not impossible to imagine online
I have mentioned cyber crime before,
but it is worth spending further time
looking at the issues, as they are so far
reaching. The impact of cybercrime is
not just a matter of money being stolen.
The highly sensitive information held
by organisations, including solicitors
can be damaging for clients if it falls
into criminal hands. The fear of identity
theft, or that personal details might be
revealed, can itself be highly distressing
to individuals whose data is stolen.
What are the different types of
cybercrime?
• Business disruption - Hackers can
access and alter websites, just like
vandalism in the real world.
• DDoS attacks use large numbers of
computers to connect to a service
multiple times with the aim of
overloading it. These computers can
be driven to work for the criminals via
malware
• Email fraud, phishing and vishing “Email remains the medium of choice
for cybercriminals” – Symantec.
Internet security threat report 2016,
Symantec, 2016
• ‘Phishing’ involves a criminal sending