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Should You Pay the Ransom?

Should You Pay the Ransom? Navigating the law and ethics of a ransomware attack, the special case of Health-care institutions.

This CLE program will explore the unique Cyber/Privacy/Data Management, ethical and legal challenges faced by a heath-care institutions in formulating their response to a ransomware attack. We will explore the challenges to good decision-making regarding public communication, dealing with the "THREAT-ACTORS", protecting patient privacy, and of course paying the ransom, or not! The program will conclude with a simulation of the first discussions an organization's leader must have when an attack is suspected.

This event is eligible for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits for attorneys licensed in the State of New York.

Information Regarding New York CLE Credits

Columbia Law School has been certified by the New York State Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Board as an Accredited Provider of CLE programs. Under New York State CLE regulations, this live webinar for newly admitted and experienced CLE Program will provide 2 hours of New York CLE credit in the Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection-Ethics and Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection-General categories. This CLE credit is awarded to New York attorneys for full attendance of the Program. Attendance is determined by an attorney's submission of their Attorney Attendance Affirmation forms with appropriate course codes noted. On submission of the Attorney Attendance Affirmations, attorneys also should submit their completed Evaluation Form, provided by the program organizers. Please note the NYS Certificates of Attendance will be sent to the email address as it appears in the register unless otherwise noted there.


Newly admitted attorneys may receive credit for:

  • Law Practice Management
  • Areas of Professional Practice
  • Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection - General

Newly admitted attorneys may NOT receive credit for:

  • Ethics and professionalism
  • Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection - Ethics
  • Skills 

Newly admitted attorneys (admitted to the NY Bar for two years of less) cannot receive DEI CLE credits at all, regardless of program format.

Instructions on how to receive CLE credits:

Following the completion of the event, please download the CLE Forms (Attorney Attendance Affirmation form as well as the Evaluation form provided below) and fill them out with the necessary information including the two codes provided during the event. Please send completed forms to Athina Fontenot at af3018 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (af3018[at]columbia[dot]edu).


If you are an attorney licensed in another state (not New York), please provide the completed forms as stated above to Athina Fontenot at af3018 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (af3018[at]columbia[dot]edu) in order to receive a certificate of attendance which you may use in order to seek CLE credits in your home state. 

For additional information about program offerings at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, please contact an Admissions Counselor at 212-854-9666 or inquire [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (inquire[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu). For more information, please contact Athina Fontenot at af3018 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu

Program Agenda and Speaker Bios

Reading Materials

Speakers