Total Credits: 1.0 including 1.0 Ethics
Essential Cybersecurity Fundamentals for Legal Professionals
1.0 Ethics CLE Credits | CLE #2020-029
Registration Fee: Free of Charge
Presented by: Adam Alexander, Assistant United States Attorney, District of Alaska
and Elliot R. Peterson, Special Agent, FBI Anchorage
Government entities and private legal service providers are now dependent on the internet to perform essential functions and provide services to their clients and the public at large. This dependency gives rise to potential exploitation by malicious criminal groups targeting U.S. entities in general and legal practices in particular. Recent public reporting has highlighted the impact of such incidents, including data breaches and ransomware attacks targeting law firms and court systems nationwide that can implicate complex legal and ethical obligations. Basic cybersecurity has become even more important given the COVID pandemic and the increasing number of legal professionals working remotely. The speakers have investigated and prosecuted sophisticated cybercriminals worldwide that have targeted U.S. entities in Alaska, and will discuss the types of cyber offenses investigated by the FBI generally; the publicly reported threat landscape facing legal professionals in Alaska; the statutory tools used to prosecute cybercrime offenses; rights afforded to victims; and practical steps that legal professionals can take to safeguard their practice. The 60-minute CLE presentation is intended to be interactive, with the opportunity to address questions to the presenters.
Essential Cybersecurity Materials (3.12 MB) | 46 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Elliott Peterson is a Special Agent with the FBI in the Anchorage Field Office. A member of Anchorage's Computer Intrusion Squad, he is responsible for investigating complex botnets, high dollar account takeover fraud, and Distributed Denial of Service attacks. Prior to joining the FBI, Elliott worked in Higher Education and served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from Dickinson College and a Master's Degree in Crime Analysis from Tiffin University.
Adam Alexander is an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Alaska working in Anchorage who primarily prosecutes child exploitation and cybercrime offenses. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Adam was an Assistant District Attorney in Anchorage prosecuting violent crimes and an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Special Prosecutions focusing on statewide child exploitation investigations. Adam attended the University of Chicago as an undergraduate; Northeastern University School of Law; and clerked for the Alaska Superior Court before joining the Alaska Department of Law in 2010.