Monday 25 February 2013 by Eduardo Reyes

The largest international law firms are among the UK practices that have a poor grip on the security of their data, according to research conducted among 200 firms.

The widespread use of personal devices is the weak link in security, with an overwhelming majority of professionals (84%) accessing company data from a personal device regardless of corporate policy, according to the study, carried out for laptop maker Sony.

Of the laptops used by lawyers, 63% had no anti-theft security measures. Despite this, 21% of interviewees said their laptop had been stolen in the last 12 months. A third of the legal professionals surveyed worked for firms with a headcount of more than 250 and 17% for firms employing over 1,000.

Ruth Storey, product marketing manager at Sony UK, said draconian limits on device use were not the answer to security fears: 'There's no reason to miss out on the cost and productivity benefits of "bring your own device" (BYOD). Features such as fingerprint security access, remote lockdown and location tracking are available on many models right out of the box.'