This summer we did a lot of work for attorneys and I had an interesting observation.

There really is an obvious lack of protection and security awareness in many of the firms we serviced.  I thought that given the trends of workplace violence and particularly the strenuous financial and emotionally evocative nature of civil and domestic litigation, that attorneys could find themselves to be targets.  And given the extremes of personalities and potentially “unstable” clientele, the attorney’s office could become an easy target.

Whether your business is a law firm or a corporation, my first bit of encouragement is to secure the front office and reception area.  Installing an access control system to the front door that is equipped with a video and voice intercom is a simple way to deter a walk-in problem such as a disgruntled former client or a bitter party from a lawsuit.  But when the 10AM appointment arrives, the receptionist can efficiently greet the client and buzz them in.  For security after hours, consider the sturdiness of your locks and door hardware.  We met one firm with an exterior door that could be “popped” with a butter knife and opened straight into the private office suite.

One firm we know has an open lobby design with a small reception kiosk in the center.   The open lobby design makes the receptionist’s capability as a gate keeper nearly impossible.  The open halls and stairways beyond the reception kiosk can lead an active shooter or hostile client into any portion of the office without difficulty.  It’s a scary risk that could be minimized by simply adding some access control, locking inner hallway doors, and some security awareness training.  Though most of the firms we have worked with have panic buttons installed at the reception area, we all know that a shooter only needs seconds while a police response may take minutes or more.  A panic button is not a security plan.

One thing that has impressed me is how well all of our attorney clients have managed their own personal security and privacy.  Most were aware of the risks with criminal defendants or emotional divorces.  I certainly encourage unlisted home and cell phone numbers and close monitoring of social network sites to minimize the release of personal or family related information.  Email should be archived and any threats received by email should be evaluated.

We had one attorney whose out of office email reply stated: “I am out of the office and on vacation with my family in Florida until August xx and I won’t be able to respond to your email until I return. “  I happen to know where this attorney lived and one day I drove by the residence and saw the front porch lights on during the daytime and the grass had not been cut.  There was clear advertising that the house was unattended and the residents were away.  To make things better, they kept a 12 foot extension ladder outside next to a shed…a perfect opportunity for a house burglar.

• Is your office as secure as it could be and is your staff aware of personal security?
• Can you lock office doors if you needed to secure in place during an attack?
• Can you quickly lock exterior doors if you observe a threat approaching?
• How can you communicate a threat in the front office to warn others in the building?
• Are you equipped to fight an attacker such as with pepper spray or armed security?
• Is the front office locked and files secured when unattended?
• How do attorneys manage their personal and family security and privacy?
• Do you employ contract security staff during periods of risk?
• Do you hire security drivers to assist attorneys who travel distances for hearings?
• What security measures are in place to detect fire and intrusion when the firm is closed?

In addition to the tactical side of our security training, we can help attorney offices with several of these questions and issues.  Security awareness, in our view, is about preventing problems and not about deploying force options or expensive gadgets.  As I wrote earlier, the panic button is not a security plan.  If you reach a point where you need to push the panic button, you have already lost security.