The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) has published its report "2020 State of Cybersecurity Report: An In-House Perspective" by which it has surveyed more than 580 companies from over 36 countries and belonging to 20 different sectors.

The survey shows that the number of dedicated in-house cybersecurity lawyers has increased in recent years. 18% of companies surveyed have a dedicated cybersecurity lawyer, up 12% from the same report in 2018.

"In a majority of cases, this lawyer is responsible for cyber across the enterprise and is in an [executive-level] position in 56 per cent of organisations," ACC wrote.

40% responded that their dedicated attorneys focus on specific aspects of cybersecurity, such as product advice or incident response, but do not have responsibility for an organization-wide approach to the issue.

For those whose legal departments have a dedicated cybersecurity advisor, 60% of them said their cybersecurity lawyers are responsible for coordinating a company-wide cyber law strategy.

This report highlights the relevance of legal departments in deciding on strategies to mitigate cybersecurity risks. In three out of five companies, legal departments have a relevant decision when it comes to cybersecurity strategies.