Burr & Forman, a distinguished member of the Am Law 200 circle, recently suffered a data breach reaching nearly 20,000 individuals. The breach occurred due to unauthorized access to certain documents and information stored in the firm’s systems, as revealed in a public notice.
Though the firm claims that the breach, which was first discovered in October, was promptly contained, their analysis has indicated that the intruded data comprised that of two of its health care clientele, both being subjects to HIPAA. Kathryn Whitaker, Burr & Forman’s chief marketing officer, stated, “We continue to address this matter with those clients directly and to comply with all required notices and actions.”
This incident has underscored the increasing importance of securing internal systems within businesses, especially those dealing with sensitive information and operating in sectors such as healthcare where regulations are particularly stern. Firms are obligated to take extra precautions to ensure data integrity and confidentiality whilst they digitize an ever-growing amount of legal documents and client data.