For additional security for the future, there is nothing like looking to the past. When selecting advisors, contractors and employees, your clients should look to their record of confidentiality; advise them to ask to see evidence of adequate insurance to cover reputational damages; to consider, where possible, getting bank, criminal background or credit agency references to be sure the person they are dealing with is not motivated to trade on their personal secrets. They rightly trust and respect you––your clients should be equally confident in any other advisors they may seek to employ.
Your client’s home is their castle. By taking some simple, sensible steps, you can ensure that the privacy drawbridge is down, that the portcullis is secure, and that they are not, metaphorically speaking, naked in the window with the lights on and the shutters open. That way, you can help them to enjoy the serenity of having a private place to call their own and the knowledge that no one will be able to utter the words with sinister intent, "I know where you live."
Jim Carolan is a partner at Withers Bergman, where he leads the U.S. Real Estate practice. He works in the firm’s New York and New Haven offices. Amber Melville-Brown is a London-based partner at Withers Bergman. She is a media specialist and heads the firm’s Media and Reputation Management practice. Withers Bergman is a global law firm that has served individuals, families and institutions for more than 100 years.