SEATTLE, March 27, 2014—BakerHostetler is proud to announce that Randy Gainer has joined the firm as partner, resident in the Seattle office and practicing in the Intellectual Property Group, and as a key member of the Privacy and Data Protection team. Gainer’s practice focuses on data breach response, compliance counsel and risk assessment, and computer-related litigation involving intellectual property claims and contract disputes. He joins BakerHostetler from Davis Wright Tremaine.
Gainer has experience representing clients in all aspects of data breach response work, including counseling clients regarding their notification duties, responding to state and federal government investigations, and representing clients in litigation. As a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), a globally recognized information security certification governed by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Gainer is uniquely positioned to conduct attorney-client privileged data security risk assessments and compliance reviews. He has advised banks, telecommunications companies, retail businesses, and hospital systems regarding compliance with computer network security laws, data breach notification statutes, and privacy requirements, and helped businesses conduct information system risk assessments.
“This is proving to be a big year for our privacy team. Randy’s arrival follows three recent additions to what is already considered one of the leading security incident response and privacy teams in the country,” said Theodore Kobus, co-chair of BakerHostetler’s national Privacy and Data Protection practice team. "Our privacy team has the practical experience clients need to prepare for a data breach, regulatory investigation, or class action lawsuit. Recent breaches and enforcement actions have captured attention at the board level, and Randy's credentials will be invaluable as we respond to their rapidly increasing compliance needs.”
Privacy and Data Protection Partner and practice Co-Chair Pamela Jones Harbour joined BakerHostetler’s Washington D.C. and New York offices in January, followed soon after by Counsel Eric Packel in Philadelphia. Earlier in March, the firm added well-known media convergence and privacy attorney Alan Friel to the firm’s Los Angeles office. BakerHostetler’s Privacy and Data Protection team has gained national attention for the quality and magnitude of its data breach work. In 2014, legal trade publication Law360 named the team a "Practice Group of the Year," and in 2013, Kobus was one of only three attorneys named an MVP by Law360 for Privacy & Consumer Protection.
In addition to his breach response and compliance work, Gainer is experienced advising tech companies on potential privacy issues related to new technologies, including state, federal, and privacy-related statutes, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. He has also litigated software development disputes, including matters for the State of California and the State of Washington, and computer-related patent cases.
“Randy’s addition to the firm further demonstrates BakerHostetler’s commitment to expand legal services offered in the Seattle market,” said Michael J. Swope, partner-in-charge of the firm’s Seattle office. “Privacy compliance is a hot issue for high tech companies, and Randy’s experience will help us meet our clients’ needs.”
“I am very excited to join this well-recognized and thriving practice,” said Gainer. “This privacy team has the experience, momentum, and platform that feeds success and attracts clients.”
Gainer is a prolific speaker on data security best practices, reducing liability for data breaches, and security risks in emerging payment markets, as well as many other topics. He is a member of several data security professional organizations, including the Information Systems Security Association, the Cloud Security Alliance, ISACA (previously known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association), and Agora, an organization of Northwest information security professionals. Gainer received his J.D., with honors, from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 1981, and his B.A., with honors, in Political Science from University of California, Berkeley in 1978.
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About BakerHostetler
One of the nation’s largest law firms, BakerHostetler helps clients around the world to address their most complex and critical business and regulatory issues. With five core national practice groups – business, employment, intellectual property, litigation, and tax – the firm has nearly 900 lawyers located in 14 offices coast to coast. BakerHostetler is recognized for its role as court-appointed counsel to the Securities Investor Protection Act (SIPA) Trustee in the recovery of billions of dollars in principal lost in the Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Bernard L. Madoff. Additionally, BakerHostetler is widely regarded as having one of the country’s top 10 tax practices, a nationally recognized litigation practice, data privacy practice, and an industry-leading middle market business practice. For more information, visit www.bakerlaw.com.