BlueVoyant identifies novel threat actor campaign using fake law firm invoices to launch phishing attacks

GUEST RESEARCH: BlueVoyant’s Threat Fusion Center (TFC) recently flushed out a cyber attack campaign targeting a diverse array of organizations by exploiting the inherent trust associated with legal services. We have dubbed the campaign “NaurLegal” and believe it is orchestrated by the eCrime group Narwhal Spider (aka Storm-0302, TA544). Campaign detailsThe attackers disguise malicious PDF files as authentic-looking invoices from reputable law firms, a tactic designed to deceive recipients across various industries. The NaurLegal Campaign leverages the guide of legitimacy by crafting PDF files with convincing file names such as “Invoice_[number]_from_[law firm name].pdf.” This strategy plays on the routine expectation…

Top Law Firms’ Revenue Rose 6% on Higher Rates, Wells Fargo Says

The country’s 100 largest law firms posted revenue growth of 6% in 2023 as higher prices for lawyers’ time and a slight increase in demand more than made up for a broad slowdown in deals, a Wells Fargo & Co. survey found. The average profits per equity partner at the 100 firms increased more than 5% from 2022, Wells Fargo said. The revenue gains last year were mostly driven by higher billing rates. The 100 largest law firms raised their hourly rates at a record, nearly 9%, in 2023, Wells Fargo said. Demand was up by less than 1%. The…

India continues to see more new law firms, independent practices

India continues to see the emergence of boutique law firms and independent practitioners, with lawyers from Khaitan & Co, Economic Laws Practice, Dhir & Dhir and Naik Naik exiting to launch their own ventures. Supreme Court advocate-on-record Anurag Soan and former ELP attorney Shrey Bhardwaj have teamed up to establish tax-focused law firm First Principles Advocates in New Delhi, where they will focus on direct, indirect and international tax advisory and disputes. The firm’s founding partners have experience working in the alcoholic beverages, construction, IT services, telecommunications and energy sectors. Soan and Bhardwaj were colleagues at Delhi-based Reina Legal, after…

Roundup of law firm hires, promotions, departures: February 5, 2024 update

Chika Chiekwe (Halifax, NS) – corporate and commercial law primarily focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities, general business law, and non-profit organizations. Leah Good (Fredericton, NB) – family law and general litigation practice. Michael Heikkinen (Moncton, NB) – construction litigation, estate litigation, and family law. Marie-Pier Levesque – bilingual practice in corporate and commercial law. Caroline McAvity (Saint John, NB) – corporate and commercial law. Matt McEwen – litigation practice focusing on commercial litigation, insurance, and construction matters. Thomas Munn (St. John’s, NL) – commercial transactions, corporate law, construction, and…