Belfast firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin has been awarded the ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System (ISMS) certification, an IMS International security management certification accredited by the UK’s national accreditation body, UKAS.

It comes shortly after CFR became the first law firm in Northern Ireland to obtain the UK Cyber Essentials, IASME and ISO27001 certifications.

An ISMS is a framework consisting of policies and procedures, encapsulating legal, physical and technical controls which are involved in an organisation’s information risk management processes.

The scope of supply includes the management of Information Security in the Provision of Legal Services Including Corporate; Banking and Finance; Property; Planning and Environmental; Litigation; Business Restructuring/Insolvency; Employment and Equality; Private Client and Public Law and Education.

The standard ensures that information security is managed under critical and established controls, having a formal specification in place concerning management systems and auditing.

Patrick Fleming, the firm’s finance and IT director, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the ISO 27001:2013 certification which has recognised the sophisticated systems we have in place and has also raised awareness internally, regarding potential threats to information and how to protect it.

“The standard has helped us ensure that the processes we have in place, including our risk assessment method, information security control system, management practice, information security policy and ability to meet legal and stakeholder data protection requirements are both effective and secure.”