One Fraudulent Wire. Your Client's Money Gone. Your License at Risk.
Law firms hold client funds, confidential information, and handle high-value transactions—making you a prime target. Under ABA Model Rules 1.15 and 5.3, managing partners bear personal responsibility for safeguarding client property and supervising everyone who touches it. Wire fraud doesn't just cost money. It triggers bar complaints, malpractice claims, and disciplinary proceedings.
$850 million lost to real estate and legal wire fraud annually (FBI IC3). Managing partners face personal liability.
Your Law Firm Has Security Tools. Here's What They Miss.
Your firm probably has spam filtering, maybe anti-virus, possibly DNS protection. Your malpractice carrier might even require it.
But the email asking your paralegal to wire settlement proceeds to a "new client account"? It passed all of them. The domain looks right. The sender name is correct. The case reference is real.
ForwardToSafety is the check that happens at the moment that matters—when someone in your firm is about to move client funds based on an email.
Under ABA Rules 1.15 and 5.3, you bear personal responsibility. Give your team a tool to verify before they act.
Private AI Analysis: Built for ABA Rule 1.6 Compliance
Most security tools send your email content to external cloud AI services like ChatGPT. For law firms, that's a potential violation of your duty to protect client confidentiality.
ForwardToSafety runs private AI infrastructure. No client communications are sent to third-party AI providers. Same thorough multi-tier analysis—with complete data sovereignty for privileged information.
Zero installation required—no new software approval needed. Staff simply forward suspicious emails from their existing email client.
How Attackers Exploit Law Firm Operations
They know you hold client money, handle confidential matters, and work under deadline pressure. Here's how they use it against you.
IOLTA/Trust Account Wire Fraud
$287,000 wired out of your trust account—to a scammer. Fake wire instructions arrive days before closing. The email looks like it's from the title company or your client. Your staff sends the funds. The real parties call asking where the money is.
ABA Rule 1.15 requires you to safeguard client property. This is a violation—and it's on the managing partner's record.
Client Impersonation
Your "client" asks to liquidate their settlement. It's not your client. Scammers research your matters through court records and press releases. They impersonate clients with spoofed emails requesting fund transfers.
When you comply, you've potentially breached ABA Rule 1.6 (confidentiality) and Rule 1.15 (safekeeping). One email. Multiple ethics violations.
Opposing Counsel / Court Impersonation
"Urgent filing deadline change" from the court. Except it's not the court. Attackers impersonate court clerks, opposing counsel, and judges. Phishing links in fake "e-filing notifications" steal credentials. Spoofed settlement demands create chaos.
Confidential case strategy. Client communications. Privileged work product. All accessible once they're in your email.
Vendor & Expert Witness Invoice Fraud
That expert witness invoice? The bank account was changed. By a scammer. Your firm pays court reporters, expert witnesses, process servers, and investigators. Attackers send invoices that look identical—but with different bank details.
Accounts payable fraud hits firms that process high vendor volume hardest.
Managing Partner / Equity Partner Impersonation
"Transfer $45,000 for the settlement—I'll explain later." That's not your managing partner. Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks impersonate firm leadership. Staff receive urgent requests for wire transfers, gift cards, or client information. The email appears to come from a name they trust. They act.
Under ABA Rule 5.3, the managing partner is responsible for ensuring non-lawyer staff are properly supervised. When they fall for a scam, supervision failures are on you.
Your Ethical Obligations Are Clear
The ABA Model Rules and state bar requirements create personal liability for managing partners when client funds are compromised.
| Rule | Requirement | How Phishing Threatens Compliance |
|---|---|---|
| Rule 1.6: Confidentiality | Protect client information from unauthorized disclosure | Phishing steals credentials → attackers access client communications, case files, privileged information |
| Rule 1.15: Safekeeping Property | Client funds in trust accounts must be protected; firm responsible for losses | Wire fraud drains IOLTA accounts; firm must make clients whole |
| Rule 5.1: Supervisory Responsibility | Partners must ensure firm has measures to assure compliance | Lack of email verification = failure to implement reasonable safeguards |
| Rule 5.3: Supervising Non-Lawyers | Partners responsible for non-lawyer staff conduct | When staff falls for phishing, managing partner faces discipline for supervision failure |
| State IOLTA Rules | Specific requirements for trust account handling | Wire fraud triggers immediate reporting requirements and potential trust account audits |
"A managing partner's failure to implement reasonable cybersecurity measures can itself constitute an ethics violation—even before any fraud occurs."
— ABA Formal Opinion 477R
It Happens Fast
3:47 PM
Your paralegal receives wire instructions from "FirstAmerican-Titleco.com" for a residential closing. The email looks professional. The matter is real. Closing is tomorrow.
4:15 PM
$312,000 wired from your IOLTA account per the instructions.
9:00 AM
The real title company calls. They never sent wire instructions. The domain was one letter different. The money is gone.
2:00 PM
You're on the phone with your malpractice carrier. Then the state bar.
What ForwardToSafety Would Have Caught:
- Domain registered 3 days ago
- SPF authentication failed
- Sender IP geolocation: Eastern Europe
- Verdict: DANGEROUS
"A 'client' emailed asking to wire settlement proceeds to a new account. Something felt off. I forwarded it to ForwardToSafety—domain was registered 48 hours earlier, sender authentication failed. That was $180,000 we didn't lose. More importantly, that's a bar complaint we didn't face."
— Managing Partner, 12-attorney firm
How ForwardToSafety Protects Your Firm—and Your License
A verification layer that demonstrates due diligence and reasonable supervision.
Verify Every Wire—Document Every Check
Before any trust account transfer, forward the wire instructions. We verify sender authentication, domain legitimacy, and cross-reference against known fraud patterns. You get a clear verdict and a documented audit trail.
Compliance benefit: Demonstrates "reasonable measures" under Rules 1.15 and 5.1.
Is This Really Your Client?
Unusual fund requests, changed contact information, urgent demands—forward them before acting. We verify sender authentication and flag impersonation attempts.
Compliance benefit: Supports Rule 1.6 confidentiality obligations and Rule 1.15 safekeeping duties.
Audit Trail for Bar Inquiries
Every email you forward generates a detailed analysis report. Document your verification process. Demonstrate supervision. Build a defense record before you need one.
Compliance benefit: Evidence of reasonable supervision under Rules 5.1 and 5.3.
Why Managing Partners Choose ForwardToSafety
Your Name Is on the Letterhead. Your License Is on the Line.
Under ABA Rules, managing partners bear personal responsibility for protecting client funds and supervising staff. ForwardToSafety helps you meet that obligation—and document that you did.
$850 million lost to legal and real estate wire fraud annually. Your firm doesn't have to be next.
Protect My Firm