Privacy Governance and Technology Transactions

Overview

Strong, proactive privacy governance and technology strategy is vital to every business today. Our national team counsels clients on how to reduce or eliminate risk through rigorous review of policies that may pose privacy and security risks, as well advises on strategic acquisitions of technology.

We work with the key personnel who have responsibility for privacy and security and for technology infrastructure, including chief information and privacy officers, marketing team leaders, compliance officers, finance leaders and in-house legal teams. Our incident response experience and regulatory knowledge mean we are uniquely qualified to examine both internal and privacy governance policies. Our deep understanding of technology positions us to advise clients regarding the best practices for technology transactions, including negotiating agreements regarding cloud services and technology infrastructure as well as data ownership and other key issues that arise when companies do business together.

Regulatory Defense

We advise clients on how to develop and maintain consumer privacy programs. In addition, we help clients assess privacy impacts and employ privacy by design to balance commercial and consumer interests and to craft transparent, accurate and customer-friendly notices regarding data practices.

Our deep experience and relationships with state attorneys general and other regulatory officials allow us to deal efficiently with investigatory inquiries, often resulting in positive dispositions, including the conclusion of investigations without any charges being brought.

Our experience encompasses:
  • California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and other state privacy laws.
  • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
  • Attorney General privacy investigations related to data collection and use.
  • Data localization and retention laws.
  • The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
  • Gramm Leach Bliley Act (GLBA).
  • Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act compliance.
  • Federal Trade Commission matters.
  • The Fair Credit Reporting Act. (FCRA).
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Technology Contracts
  • Our team has a well-grounded understanding of transactions involving the use, licensing, acquisition and commercialization of data and technology. We review, negotiate and draft agreements and agreement provisions regarding:
  • Cloud computing.
  • Data ownership and data protection.
  • The PCI Data Security Standard and protected health information.
  • Service level agreements.
  • Software.
  • Hardware.
  • Mobile data and commerce.
  • E-commerce.
  • Back offices and infrastructure.
  • Outsourcing.

We handle agreements involving all forms of cloud service (SaaS, IaaS, PaaS), video game development, mobile apps, music distribution, geolocation, payment processing, fraud prevention, data analytics and digital advertising.

In addition, as companies everywhere undergo digital transformation, our team offers guidance on where opportunities and vulnerabilities lie and assists in designing plans to manage, protect and leverage your digital assets, including Big Data, predictive analysis, machine learning, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and voice, text and vision recognition.

GDPR and CCPA

We provide comprehensive advice regarding the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including:

  • Compliance readiness assessments.
  • Compliance program development and implementation.
  • Inventory data and mapping data flows.
  • Privacy and data security assessments to prepare for the impact of the private right of action arising from security incidents.
  • Risk management.
  • Tracking legislative and regulatory developments.
  • Vendor contract drafting and review.
  • Identifying, engaging and managing IT consultants and solutions.

Select Experience

Privacy Governance
  • Counseled hundreds of companies on developing, implementing and maintaining privacy programs and complying with applicable data protections laws, including the CCPA.
  • Representing the interests of multiple clients in the digital advertising sector while working with the Internet Advertising Bureau to help develop a policy framework, multiparty agreement and technical signal program that will allow publishers and advertisers to integrate their CCPA “do not sell” requests with internet-based advertising technologies.
Technology Transactions
  • Representing an insurance company in its multimillion-dollar multiparty cloud and software services agreements.
  • Supporting a large healthcare system as lead technology and intellectual property counsel; advising the organization in more than $50 million worth of technology acquisitions.
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Professionals

Name Title Office Email
Associate Atlanta
Associate New York
Partner Atlanta
Associate Los Angeles
Partner Costa Mesa
Partner New York
Partner Atlanta
Partner Cleveland
Associate Washington, D.C.
Partner Dallas
Partner Atlanta
Partner Atlanta
Associate New York
Associate Washington, D.C.
Counsel Seattle
Counsel New York
Partner New York
Partner New York
Partner New York
Associate Atlanta
Counsel Seattle
Partner Atlanta
Associate Atlanta
Associate Chicago
Partner Seattle
Partner New York
Associate Atlanta
Partner New York
Partner Los Angeles
Associate Los Angeles
Partner Philadelphia
Associate Washington, D.C.
Partner San Francisco
Partner New York
Partner Philadelphia
Partner New York
Partner Cincinnati
Associate Houston
Associate Seattle
Partner Atlanta
Partner Los Angeles

Experience

Privacy Governance
  • Counseled hundreds of companies on developing, implementing and maintaining privacy programs and complying with applicable data protections laws, including the CCPA.
  • Representing the interests of multiple clients in the digital advertising sector while working with the Internet Advertising Bureau to help develop a policy framework, multiparty agreement and technical signal program that will allow publishers and advertisers to integrate their CCPA “do not sell” requests with internet-based advertising technologies.
  • Advising numerous clients regarding compliance with international data transfer restrictions and data localization requirements. Additionally, we developed and implemented GDPR compliance programs for U.S. and international organizations, including applicability analysis, data mapping, data transfer mechanisms, consent mechanisms, “right to be forgotten,” data security assessments, breach response programs, the selection of Data Protection Officers and employee training.
  • Served as lead privacy counsel to a cutting-edge healthcare funding provider; provided a 50-state analysis of the privacy landscape for the company.
Technology Transactions
  • Representing an insurance company in its multimillion-dollar multiparty cloud and software services agreements.
  • Supporting a large healthcare system as lead technology and intellectual property counsel; advising the organization in more than $50 million worth of technology acquisitions.
  • Acting as lead counsel to a minerals and material solutions provider, evaluating and mitigating the risks of third-party installation of IoT tracking technologies for assets management.
  • As privacy counsel to a global public relations and earned media software company, led the organization through multiple acquisitions of portfolio companies and conducted privacy diligence for a number of transactions.
  • Advised a healthcare customer-relationship management company on commercial transactions and the development of a privacy and data strategy, navigating HIPAA compliance and regulations.

Recognition

  • Selected as a 2020-2021 “Pacesetter” in Cybersecurity Services by ALM Intelligence Pacesetter Research
  • BTI Powerhouse for Cybersecurity Litigation (2022)
  • BTI Cybersecurity Powerhouse (2020)
  • BTI CyberSavvy Law Firm (2020)
  • Chambers Global
    • Privacy & Data Security: The Elite (USA) (2022)
    • Privacy & Data Security (USA) (2014 to 2021)
    • Privacy & Data Security: Healthcare Spotlight Table – Nationwide (2018 to 2022)
  • Chambers Fintech
    • Legal – USA (2018 to 2021)
  • Chambers USA
    • Advertising: Transactional & Regulatory – Nationwide (2018 to 2021)
    • Privacy & Data Security: The Elite – Nationwide (2021)
    • Privacy & Data Security – Nationwide (2013 to 2020)
    • Privacy & Data Security: Healthcare Spotlight Table – Nationwide (2018 to 2021)
  • Chambers USA Award: “Privacy & Data Security Team of the Year” finalist (2015, 2017)
  • The Legal 500 United States
    • Media, Technology and Telecoms: Advertising and Marketing: Transactional and Regulatory (2018 to 2021)
    • Media, Technology and Telecoms: Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection) (2021)
    • Media, Technology and Telecoms: Cyber Law (2016 to 2020)
    • Media, Technology and Telecoms: Data Privacy and Data Protection (2016 to 2020)
  • Law360: Privacy "Practice Group of the Year" (2013 to 2015, 2018)
  • Selected for Vault’s Guide to Legal Practice Areas
    • Privacy and Data Security (2017 to 2021)

Blog Posts

Blog

In The Blogs

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Data Counsel
New Director of HHS Office for Civil Rights Announced: What could Lisa J. Pino's appointment mean for future HIPAA enforcement?
By Sara M. Goldstein
September 28, 2021
More than eight months into the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced the appointment of Lisa J. Pino as the new director of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Sept. 27, 2021. As the new...
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Data Counsel
Effective Oct. 1, 2021: Connecticut Expands Data Breach Notification Statute
By Benjamin D. Wanger, Elana Weinblatt
September 27, 2021
On June 16, 2021, the Connecticut General Assembly adopted an expanded version of Connecticut’s data breach notification statute (2021 CT H.B. 5310 (NS)). Through this expansion, Connecticut’s data breach notification statute will be...
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Data Counsel
CPRA Rulemaking Begins with an Invitation by the New California Privacy Protection Agency
By Jeewon K. Serrato, Justin T. Yedor
September 23, 2021
By Justin Yedor, Stanton Burke, and Jeewon K. Serrato For businesses awaiting guidance on how to comply with the California Privacy Rights Act (the “CPRA”), the new California Privacy Protection Agency (“CPPA”) began the rulemaking process...
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Data Counsel
FTC Issues Statement Warning Health Apps to Notify Consumers About Data Breaches
September 22, 2021
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a policy statement on Sept. 15, 2021, warning that the decade-old Health Breach Notification Rule (the rule) – which applies to companies that handle personal health records or collect health...
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Data Counsel
International Data Protection Update – Summer 2021
By Andreas T. Kaltsounis, Melinda L. McLellan, Nichole L. Sterling
September 21, 2021
This update highlights some of the international data protection issues that caught our attention, and the attention of our clients, over the summer. Asia-Pacific China’s Data Security Law and Personal Information Protection Law – This...
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