Cyber Incidents pose a growing threat to businesses, with more frequent and sophisticated attacks making strong protections essential to avoid serious reputational, financial, and legal impacts.
Wotton Kearney’s expert cyber team works with clients to navigate the complex legal landscape of cybersecurity, providing tailored advice to manage risks, ensure compliance, and minimise exposure during cyber incidents.
The team successfully manages hundreds of cyber incidents each year, including some of Australia’s largest and most complex incidents, offering the assurance of experienced and reliable support.
Incident Response
Our aim is to get organisations back on their feet quickly and proactively, with mitigation of loss and regulatory compliance front of mind.
Market Leading Incident Response Team
We have a market-leading cyber incident response team that handles hundreds of cyber events each year, including some of the largest and most complex incidents in Australia and other jurisdictions.
24/7 Incident Response Hotline
We operate a cyber incident response hotline that is monitored 24/7 by our team. Our team will respond quickly and efficiently to any notification of an incident through this hotline.
Expert Vendor Panel
We have an established a panel of expert vendors to help investigate and advise on the technical and commercial actions required to mitigate exposure following a security incident or data breach.
Balancing Legal Experts & Technology
We combine the right mix of lawyers and technology to manage your claims efficiently. Our service model allows us to successfully provide outstanding service at an economical rate across the complete spectrum of cyber needs following a cyber incident.
Our Incident Response Management Solution
We take a 3-stage approach to managing incidents for clients:
Stage 1 – Incident Triage
Our cyber incident response hotline is monitored by our lawyers, with prompt responses to incidents through this hotline. We will provide phone advice/support to those impacted, while obtaining the details of the incident.
Stage 2 – Incident Response
Within 24 hours, we provide an ‘Initial Report’ on the situation. Using a lawyer as an incident manager ensures sensitive reports and communications are protected under legal professional privilege, while being able to tailor reports to suit your internal reporting requirements.
Stage 3 – Incident Investigation & Resolution
After delivering the initial incident report, we will manage the investigation, coordinate third-party providers where required, support client communications, handle data breach investigations, and assist with regulatory and claims issues while providing regular updates.
Our Incident Response Network
WK have established a panel of expert vendors to help investigate and advise on the technical and commercial actions required to mitigate exposure following a security incident or data breach. This includes IT forensic specialists, public relation experts, notification service providers, ID monitoring services and specialist providers focusing on threat actor negotiations and recovery services.
Cyber Coverage
Drawing on extensive experience advising across a broad range of cyber claims, WK skilfully interprets even the most complex coverage policies and helps clients mitigate the exposures that often arise.
Our team has market-leading expertise in cyber coverage issues, from handling Australia’s largest cyber incidents to providing tailored advice on discreet SME matters. With coverage knowledge spanning both domestic and international disputes, WK are well-positioned to deliver multi-jurisdictional and cross-border advice whenever required.
For SME incidents, we deliver efficient, cost-effective, and commercially accurate advice using a proven claims management model, providing clear and concise guidance for clients.
Regulatory Enforcement & Class Actions
Now, more than ever, it’s crucial for businesses to remain acutely aware of the litigation risk related to data breach incidents. Our team can support you across the following:
Post-Incident
We provide incident response advice, manage third-party risks, and offer preliminary liability assessments to mitigate exposure. Our support includes handling notifications, complaints, regulatory investigations, and defending against third-party claims, with guidance on commercial and IP data loss issues.
Our purpose-built notification service, (b)REACH, is designed to streamline the entire process, from crafting tailored email and postal notifications to managing inbound queries.
Risk Management
We have advised on some of the market’s largest cyber incidents, including defending numerous commercial claims from corporate customers. Our approach combines incident response and privacy advice, effectively managing high-volume claims, particularly for SMEs.
Class Actions
WK is a leading choice for clients in Australia’s highest-profile and most complex disputes, providing expert coverage advice and monitoring class actions against blue-chip companies, statutory agencies, and executives.
Led by Amanda Beattie, we’ve formed a class actions team that offers specialised defence, strong tactical and litigation management skills, and expertise in cyber disputes to achieve optimal commercial outcomes.
eDiscovery
Our in-house team efficiently manages the review and preparation of up to 1 million documents, ensuring integrity throughout the process. Using our eDiscovery platform, we provide advanced data analytics to support accurate, efficient, and targeted reviews.