For legal firms, handling sensitive client data has always demanded ironclad security and governance. Yet, the challenges are growing. With an alarming rise in cyberattacks and evolving data privacy laws such as GDPR, CCPA, and others, law firms face heightened pressure to ensure compliance and instil trust in their clients. Compromised data doesn’t just risk lawsuits and fines—it also severely damages a firm’s reputation.
Legal professionals must prioritise data transparency, thorough privacy compliance, and strong governance.
The reality? Many firms are still battling to maintain visibility over their data landscape. It’s an uphill climb, but tools like Grace ActiveNav Cloud are transforming the way legal firms protect their data and reputation.
The escalating risks of poor data management
According to a recent American Bar Association’s Legal Technology survey, 27% of law firms reported experiencing a security breach. Most breaches involve mismanaged matter retention across platforms like email, chat applications, personal repositories, or document management systems (DMS). Beyond compliance, this data sprawl results in “dark data”—unstructured, unmanaged information that exposes firms to unnecessary legal and operational risks.
Without a unified data discovery strategy, firms cannot:
- Ensure compliance with outside counsel guidelines
- Respond to client audits effectively
- Guard against sensitive data breaches
- Harness data for future AI-driven opportunities like Generative AI model training
Addressing these challenges requires systemic solutions rather than reactive fixes.
How Grace ActiveNav transform data governance for law firms
Partnering with ActiveNav Cloud, Grace provides law firms with cutting-edge solutions to manage and protect their data assets while meeting compliance standards. Key features include:
Comprehensive data discovery and inventory
Legal data often exists across various repositories—email servers, collaboration tools, document management systems, or personal storage. ActiveNav Cloud consolidates all this unstructured data into a unified inventory, no matter where it resides. It creates an interactive compliance map of your data, offering IT and governance teams a clear understanding of composition, retention issues, and compliance risks.
By maintaining an accurate and up-to-date catalogue of data assets, law firms can confidently respond to audits, streamline operations, and focus on client relationships.
Enhanced compliance and audit readiness
Compliance with data privacy regulations is non-negotiable. ActiveNav Clould simplifies compliance by:
- Identifying and flagging misfiled or over-retained matters
- Generating sensitive data reports tailored for rigorous client audits
- Streamlining Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs), enabling precise responses to privacy-focused queries
Clients are now increasingly auditing their legal representation’s data governance practices. With ActiveNav, firms can effortlessly showcase their commitment to protecting client information, fostering a culture of trust and satisfaction.
Consolidated data oversight
Do your governance and IT teams have a single source of truth? ActiveNav provides a unified dashboard that highlights compliance gaps at a glance. Its interactive data maps and intuitive analytics eliminate miscommunication across teams by giving everyone—from governance leads to partners—a clear overview of risks and actionable insights.
This level of alignment ensures faster responses to compliance challenges, saving valuable time and reducing costly manual efforts.
Defensible data disposal
Data sprawl leads to unnecessary risks and storage costs. ActiveNav empowers legal firms to securely review and dispose of obsolete or irrelevant data while maintaining defensible records of their actions. By ensuring proper retention schedules are enforced and outdated files are purged systematically, firms minimise potential breaches while reducing their digital footprint.
Achieving zero dark data
Grace and ActiveNav Cloud aim for “Zero Dark Data”—a state where every piece of data in your organisation is accounted for, safely stored, and directly aligned with compliance requirements. Reaching this level of transparency minimises cyber risks, such as inadvertent data transfers or breaches, that could jeopardise your firm’s reputation.
A case for security and competitive advantage
Beyond compliance, Grace enables firms to harness their data more effectively. Accurate and actionable data:
- Enhances precedent-setting by improving case-data discovery across diverse platforms
- Provides high-quality datasets for AI model training, ensuring your firm stays competitive in the era of Generative AI and tech-driven efficiencies
- Reinforces your brand’s reputation as a good steward of client data
When scalable and low-cost solutions are already available, there’s no reason for legal firms to endure the inefficiencies and risks associated with unmanaged data.
Take the first step to a more efficient practice. Book your complimentary legal file health check today: Book here.
