One of the largest US law firms ordered remote workers back to offices after a cyberattack prompted it to block outside access to internal networks.
Lewis Brisbois on June 10 told lawyers and staff that all remote and hybrid employees must work from its offices or bring firm-issued computers home with them. The firm appeared to be scrambling to obtain more computers and devices for those employees.
“Until additional equipment can be purchased and distributed, those on remote or hybrid schedules will need to either work from the office or bring their current office computer setup home,” Elijah Bernal, an office administrator overseeing the firm’s vendor relationships, wrote in a June 10 email viewed by Bloomberg Law.
Lewis Brisbois did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The firm, founded in Los Angeles, has more than 1,600 attorneys across the country, according to its website. It’s not clear if hackers were able to successfully infiltrate the firm’s network.
The order came five days after Curtis Hendzell, the firm’s information security director, warned employees of attempted hacks. “We are receiving reports from across the firm of cyber criminals calling employees, including on cellphones, posing as internal IT department personnel and falsifying caller ID, asking for urgent action to secure accounts,” Hendzell wrote in a June 5 firmwide email.
The attack described in the emails is similar to tactics used by Silent Ransom Group, which has made victims of Jones Day and Fox Rothschild, among other law firms. The FBI in a May 2026 bulletin warned that the group is targeting law firms through “social engineering techniques,” such as posing as IT support staffers in phone calls, emails, and in-person visits to offices.
Lewis Brisbois expects to permanently ban employees from accessing systems through personal devices, Bernal said in the email. It is giving employees who work from home two options: work onsite or bring their office setups home.
“Please note that bringing office equipment home may present some challenges with Wi-Fi connectivity,” Bernal said. For those “absolutely unable” to work in the office, Bernal asked employees to request a “temporary work solution.”
The recent siege on Lewis Brisbois’ systems shows the firm remains vulnerable to bad actors despite efforts to upgrade its technology infrastructure. Managing partner Greg Katz, who took over during a tumultuous chapter in the firm’s history that saw more than 100 lawyers leave in 2023, installed new chiefs of tech and information.