The American Bar Association (ABA) has recently released Encryption Made Simple for Lawyers by Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., and John W. Simek, President and Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc., and David G. Ries of Clark Hill PLC.

Increasingly, lawyers are using encryption to protect data – some because clients are demanding that data be encrypted. Topics in the book include:

·         The basics and history of encryption

·         The ethics of encrypting confidential information

·         A layman’s view of encrypting technology

·         Easy to use options for encrypting data on devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones

·         Encrypting data on the go (including wireless and cloud technologies)

·         Predictions for the future evolution of encryption

Co-author Sharon Nelson notes: “Five years ago, encryption was actually a pain to use. To the delight of lawyers, that has changed. If they can click on an ‘Encrypt and Send’ button in Outlook, they can encrypt their e-mail and attachments. They don’t need to understand a darn thing about the mathematics behind encryption. Given the ongoing threats to client data, encryption is a no-brainer today. We teach a seminar called ‘Encryption: Its Time Has Come’ – and even lawyers slow to adopt technology are fairly rapidly adopting encryption – no doubt motivated in part by clients who tell them that encryption is a requirement.  Given the choice of losing clients or embracing encryption, the choice is clear.”