Mishcon de Reya has brought in Mike Owen from PwC as the fourth member of its expanding cyber security consultancy service, advising clients on cyber intelligence, risk consultancy and reputation management.
In a month of global cyber attacks, the new cyber security adviser, who previously worked at BAE Systems and Sage Pay, joined Mishcon’s non-lawyer analysts Emeric Bernard-Jones and Laura Hawkins, and head Joe Hancock.
Mishcon described the appointment of Hancock, who also joined from Big Four accountancy firm PwC last October, as the lead for a service which goes ‘beyond traditional legal advice’.
The consultancy sits within Mishcon’s dispute resolution business, overseen by disputes head Kasra Nouroozi. Nouroozi and fellow lawyers Gary Miller, Robert Wynn Jones and Hugo Plowman all support the service.
Mishcon’s cyber service goes ‘beyond traditional legal advice’.
Hancock told Legal Business that the service had been well received by clients, and represented a ‘growth area’ for the firm.
Mishcon’s cyber security venture was unusual among law firms due to its combination of cyber intelligence, risk consultancy and reputation management, all under one roof, Hancock added.
A ‘broad range’ of clients have signed up to the service, including large corporates, financial institutions and private individuals. A number of them are new to the firm, others are pre-existing.
Hancock’s team consists of specialists in data theft, reputation management and data protection.
In 2014, Norton Rose Fulbright hired the former cyber security head at National Air Traffic Services (NATS), Paul Swarbrick. He focused on protecting client information and developed the firm’s cyber security strategy.
In 2015, Sullivan & Cromwell, Debevoise & Plimpton, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, Linklaters and Allen & Overy announced they would form a cyber security alliance to share intelligence on threats, specific attacks and best practice.
This would allow them to exchange information with US banks, such as Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, to protect sensitive information from cyber threats.
tom.baker@legalease.co.uk