Cybersecurity for Lawyers with Kellam Parks

What if the biggest threat to your law firm isn’t your competition, but a quiet email you didn’t question? In this episode of The Founding Partner Podcast, Kellam T. Parks returns to break down the real risks behind cybersecurity, data breaches, and why even the most sophisticated firms are vulnerable. This is not fear-driven hype, it is a practical conversation about preparation, protection, and the reality that every firm will face this eventually. Kellam T. Parks is a managing member of Parks Zeigler, PLLC, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which is a paperless, technologically driven law practice with three offices across Virginia and North Carolina. He obtained his B.A. in Philosophy with Honors, Summa Cum Laude from St. Andrews University in North Carolina and earned his J.D. from William & Mary Law School. Kellam is a Tidewater native and has been practicing there for over 25 years. Kellam is active with the Virginia State Bar and is the former chair of the Special Committee on Technology and the Future Practice of Law Technology. He is also a member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, where he sits on the Family Law Section Board, the Virginia Beach Bar Association, and the Norfolk/Portsmouth Bar Association, where he served as president from 2023-2024. In early 2026 Kellam accepted the invitation by the Virginia Supreme Court to serve on the 12-member Technological Capital Focus Group exploring how technology can enhance efficiency, productivity, and quality, including the appropriate uses of AI. Kellam frequently writes and speaks about cybersecurity/data privacy, the modernization & use of technology in the practice of law, including such topics as AI, ethics, electronically stored information, and practice management/marketing. His enjoyment of the business of law and sharing that knowledge led him to launch a law firm owner/lawyer coaching business, The MOTIVATED Lawyer. While his law firm handles a wide variety of legal matters, Kellam focuses his practice on Cybersecurity/Data Privacy and Complex Family Law & Civil Litigation. CHAPTERS 00:00 Why cybersecurity is no longer optional 02:00 Meet Kellam Parks and his cybersecurity focus 03:30 The Jones Day breach and what it reveals 07:30 How data breaches actually happen 12:00 Real examples of phishing and social engineering 17:00 Why human error is unavoidable 20:00 Building a layered cybersecurity system 25:30 What happens after a breach 30:00 The legal and ethical responsibilities for lawyers 33:30 Cybersecurity insurance explained 35:00 AI, risk, and the future of cybersecurity 40:30 Final advice for law firm owners