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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

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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