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Cyber lawyers will be ‘very busy’ this year, says partner
Amid key reforms sweeping the digital and cyber security sectors, a partner from a BigLaw firm shared why 2025 is poised to be a year of pivotal change and increased activity for lawyers working in this burgeoning field.
Grace Robbie
Speaking on a recent episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Veronica Scott, a partner at Pinsent Masons, highlighted why this year is set to be a particularly busy and dynamic year, with an anticipated surge in demand for legal services from professionals working in the digital and cyber security sectors.
In the same episode, she delved into the details of the world-first social media ban, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government recently implemented, and how best lawyers can respond to this legislation to serve their clients best.
Scott explained that the evolving legislative frameworks designed to address online and digital harms will keep lawyers in this field “very busy” as they take shape and enforcement intensifies.
“There’s a real convergence of cyber security, critical infrastructure, Privacy Act reforms, digital platforms, the scam prevention framework, and all of these laws, which are aimed at preventing online or digital harms,” she said.
Scott emphasised that one of the most significant developments for legal professionals to monitor is the amendment to the Privacy Act, which marks the commencement of substantial reforms to Australia’s privacy laws.
“The significant ones, which we’ve all breathed, is that the Privacy Act is now going to be amended because the POLA or Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act has finally been introduced, and it was passed by the Senate after a number of further amendments were agreed to.
“What we’re seeing is the first tranche of the Privacy Act review reforms that were proposed and accepted by the government being introduced and will be made law,” she said.
While she acknowledged that the new regulations may not be as transformative as initially expected, Scott underscored that they nonetheless signify an important shift in how organisations approach data protection and privacy.
“It may be a much more modest outcome than what we were expecting in terms of a real major step change for the Privacy Act; what I think we’re already starting to see is clients starting to think about the impact of those changes.
“Particularly because, like with everything ... clients want to and make a lot of effort to comply with the Privacy Act,” she said.
Scott expressed her belief that the introduction of an expanded civil penalty regime, coupled with the appointment of a proactive privacy commissioner, will encourage businesses to prioritise privacy and cyber security concerns more seriously. Consequently, this shift in focus will undoubtedly lead to a surge in demand for legal services within this crucial sector.
“A lot of the time, it’s been commented that the Privacy Act lacks teeth or it’s not being treated as seriously as it should be.
“But I think now we have a new and expanded civil penalty regime and a very proactive privacy commissioner in Carly Kind, who’s been really out and about providing guidance, talking about her enforcement approach, talking about the fact that she expects organisations to get on with it and be compliant and take the steps that they need to,” she said.
Scott clarified that legal professionals specialising in cyber security will play a pivotal role in aiding clients to navigate this evolving landscape, with them tasked to “synthesise” these changes and assisting businesses to prioritise their compliance efforts.
“For lawyers in this area, it’s again really helping clients to make sense of a proliferation of changes in the laws, guidance that’s being issued, determinations and decisions that have been made.
“[They need to] bring that all together and synthesise it and really understand what [their] clients really need to do, what’s the most important things, what are their priorities, and how can they plan for it,” she said.
“I think that’s what lawyers will be spending quite a bit of time doing and perhaps quite a lot of reading over the summer break.”
