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28 November 2025 / Jack Morris
Issue: 8141 / Categories: Features , Profession , Cyber , Cybercrime , Technology , Risk management
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This is a drill!

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Cyber resilience goes beyond documentation. Businesses should stress-test their response in real time, writes Jack Morris
  • Paper-based cyber response strategies often collapse in real incidents; real-time adaptability is essential.
  • Simulations sharpen instincts—immersive tabletop exercises train teams to make fast, coordinated decisions under stress.
  • These drills empower legal teams, boost insurer confidence and turn organisations into proactive cyber defenders.

When a cyberattack strikes, the disruption is immediate and the clock starts ticking. Whether it’s ransomware, data exfiltration or denial-of-service, organisations don’t have the luxury of leafing through manuals. Every second counts and every decision matters.

Despite the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats, many companies continue to place their trust in static, paper-based cyber incident response (CIR) plans. These documents may satisfy regulatory checkboxes, but in the heat of a live breach, they often prove inadequate. Plans that look watertight on paper can unravel in practice, especially when legal teams, IT and the board are suddenly thrust into a high-pressure, high-stakes environment.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

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When it comes to free legal advice, demand massively outweighs supply. 'Millions of people are excluded from access to justice as they don’t have anywhere to turn for free advice—or don’t know that they can ask for help,' Bhavini Bhatt, development director at the Access to Justice Foundation, writes in this week's NLJ
When an ex-couple is deciding who gets what in the divorce or civil partnership dissolution, when is it appropriate for a third party to intervene? David Burrows, NLJ columnist and solicitor advocate, considers this thorny issue in this week’s NLJ
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
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