Security Leadership in Practice

Case Study 01

From SRA Concern to Board Confidence: Security Leadership for a Growing Law Firm

A 120-partner law firm operating across three UK offices had no dedicated security leadership. The firm carried significant client data including M&A instructions, litigation files, and regulatory matters, and was facing an SRA cyber assessment alongside a private equity firm conducting acquisition due diligence. Both processes exposed the same gap: there was no one accountable for security at a senior level.

Alvearium engaged as Fractional CISO. In the first 90 days, we established a security baseline, produced a board-level risk register, and authored the firm’s first Information Security Policy suite written for a legal audience, not a technical one. We attended an SRA engagement meeting on behalf of the partners, presented the remediation roadmap, and achieved a satisfactory outcome.

For the PE due diligence, we prepared a security pack covering controls maturity, incident history, and supplier assurance. The transaction completed without a security condition being raised.

Two years later, we remain embedded, attending quarterly Risk Committee meetings, overseeing the firm’s cyber insurance renewal, and advising on an AI governance framework as the firm evaluates AI-assisted legal research tools.

Case Study 02

AI Governance Before the Regulators Arrived: Advising a Listed Financial Services Firm

A FTSE-listed financial services business had begun deploying AI tools across its operations including underwriting support, client communication drafting, and document summarisation, without a formal governance framework. When the FCA published its AI discussion paper and the board received questions from a major institutional shareholder, the urgency became clear.

Alvearium was engaged to design and implement an AI Governance Framework. We began with an audit of all AI tools in use, both sanctioned and unsanctioned, and produced a risk-tiered inventory. We then authored an Acceptable Use Policy, a model risk assessment template, and a board briefing paper positioning the firm’s approach relative to the EU AI Act and FCA expectations.

The framework was reviewed by external counsel and presented at a Remuneration and Risk Committee meeting. The board approved it within six weeks of our engagement starting. The company secretary noted it was the fastest governance framework they had seen adopted at board level.