The Legal 500 > United States > United States > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)

‘The breadth of the team’s experience and knowledge is unparalleled. The team has handled everything from data breaches to national security incidents to congressional investigations to foreign nations interfering in elections and stealing IP. They also act with the upmost discretion.‘

‘David Lashway is exceptionally knowledgeable and conversant in cyber incident response, cyber threat intelligence, legislation and authorities issues, and national security matters.‘

‘John Woods is exceptionally knowledgeable in his understanding of cybersecurity resilience practices, and may be one of only a handful of individuals globally with direct experience assisting large complicated technical environments with deep legal complexity in the process of transition to hybrid and cloud architectures with identified function and service prioritizations.‘

‘I have never met cybersecurity counsel with deeper subject matter expertise and capability assisting a full range of practitioners (from cyber responders to executives) than David and John.‘

‘David Lashway is a lawyer’s lawyer. He is incredibly knowledgeable and detail oriented, but can convey complex legal advice to executives and boards in an understandable and actionable way.‘

‘John Woods is the most innovative and solution-oriented lawyer I have ever worked with.‘

‘Davis & Gilbert (D&G), led by Gary Kibel, is one of the premier privacy law firms I’ve worked with over the past 8+ years.  The team is tight, collegial and does stellar work.  It is a testament that they have very low turnover.  The team is authentic and down to earth, not pretentious at all.  They have a quiet confidence about them.‘

‘D&G has deep expertise in commercial, privacy and technology related initiatives and often is able to jump in and provide support with little background.  I also find the practice to be quite integrated, meaning even if there are multiple lawyers working on a project, the communication and teamwork is seamless. The partners are thoughtful and measured and manage projects efficiently.  I invariably feel like I am receiving good value.‘

‘Great knowledge about the advertising and media industry and the issues faced by ad agencies.‘

‘Gary Kibel, who heads the privacy group at D&G, sets the tone for the rest of the team. His quiet confidence and easy manner belie a deep subject matter expertise in privacy, especially all things related to digital advertising. There is no one can think of with as deep an understanding of the nuances of this difficult but important area.‘

‘They have an understanding that, at the end of the day, the issues that we’re dealing with are business issues so when providing advice, the partners, specifically Richard Eisert, address not only the legalities of the issue but also the business impact.‘

‘What I appreciate about the D&G team is the strategic and solutions-oriented approach that they bring to handling legal issues. Gary and his group take time to grasp my business and devise strategic answers that help guide me to make good decisions for my company.‘

‘Davis & Gilbert has never failed to meet a deadline, no matter how short. There expertise in the ever emerging digital area meets all requirements. We always feel secure in the information provided.‘

‘D&G is unique in that they have a deep understanding of both the agency business, the ad-tech/mar-tech business and the intersection of those two.  I have worked with them as a small customer, a medium-sized customer, and a large customer, and the attention and service I get from them is unchanged in each instance – they offer exceptional expertise, are incredibly accommodating with their time and schedules, and take the time to understand the dynamics of my business to offer the most relevant advice.‘

‘Davis & Gilbert feels like a boutique firm with top-level talent. These are attorneys who could choose to work anywhere but they have found a home at D&G and are passionate about its mission and clientele. Despite being a small client, our needs are met swiftly and are handled with the utmost expertise. We don’t get the second-stringer attorneys because there are no second-stringers. Internal referrals have always provided us with invaluable advice and direction when our requests venture outside of our primary attorney’s areas of expertise.‘

‘The Davis and Gilbert Cyber Law group is uniquely positioned with its knowledge of the complex adtech industry. Issues of cyberlaw and privacy that emerge in this industry are not necessarily analogous to other industries as we serve a host of data collection. I have found D+G to be at the top of the ladder when it comes to being practitioners and knowledge leaders.‘

‘Gary Kibel is a superstar in this space. He has a business and technology background that in addition to his legal expertise make him a the perfect counselor in this space. His work is always top-notch and I feel comfortable with him advising my CTO, CFO and all other C-suite executives. Apart from his professional skill, Gary is a great person and human being. I completely trust his judgment.‘

‘My hero in legal-matters is Oriyan Gitig. Her extensive knowledge of, and experience in, advertising and marketing have had an immeasurable impact on how we do business. We’ve also had to rely on Ms. Gitig’s unmatched expertise in digital media and privacy issues. She provides professional advice as though she’s counseling a dear friend or family member – and is personally invested as such. I am so satisfied with my experience with Ms. Gitig (and the firm overall) that I haven’t ever considered bringing our business to a different firm.’

‘Richard Eisert is a fantastic negotiator who understands the complexities of data transfer in advertising between different players in the field and is always forward looking in his approach to contract drafting.‘

‘Gary Kibel is a great source of knowledge when it comes to data privacy and he has an ear to the ground and anticipates what a company should look out for.‘

‘Allison Fitzpatrick is one of the, if not the, preeminent attorneys working in the field of children’s advertising. She understands even the most esoteric of questions when they arise and is able to produce immediate answers.‘

‘DLA is a powerhouse. They have an expert on each issue.‘

‘Carol is well versed and well rounded. She is extremely knowledgeable in her field, attentive, responsive, and provides business minded legal advice that is practical in that she takes into account the relevant facts and circumstances.‘

‘Carol Umhoefer is an expert in her field and is a pleasure to work with. She is extremely responsive and attentive. Despite her robust work schedule, she always makes you feel like you are her top priority. She is careful, attentive to detail, excellent at issue spotting and problem solving, and provides commercial minded legal feedback that takes into account the risks and realities of the facts at hand.‘

‘DLA Piper and specifically Carol Umhoefer, are experts in this area of law. They help us interpret complex data privacy and security laws and how they apply to our business operations. They provide practical recommendations to ensure our compliance.’

‘Carol Umhoefer is thoughtful and practical in her legal advice. She is always available whether I need a quick answer or to engage her for a bigger matter or project. She is top notch.‘

‘Jayne Risk is our relationship partner. Whatever the issue, she will find us expertise within DLA to help. She is very responsive and creative with fee arrangements for unique matters.‘

‘The team has a consistent ability to develop pragmatic solutions that allow compliance and risk management to be a compliment, rather than an inhibitor, of the business.‘

‘Tanya Forsheit and Jeremy Goldman have been incredible partners to our company. We dealt with a significant cyber incident and the resources they were able to immediately bring to bear allowed us to deal with it very effectively and efficiently. Tanya is a leading expert in CCPA and has exceptionally good business judgment which makes her very practical and ultimately effective.‘

‘Tanya Forsheit and Daniel Goldberg have their finger on the pulse of the rapidly evolving data privacy and protection space. By being based in California, they are incredibly close to the changes taking place around the CCPA and have proven to be very capable and knowledgeable to provide advice and guidance to their clients. I always feel like I receive well-thought out advice and guidance to ensure my organization is meeting its compliance obligations.‘

‘Jeremy Goldman is exceptional in data Security, able to quickly and decisively focus everyone on the important issues, and uncover facts and trends otherwise missed. Daniel Goldberg was creative and thoughtful in helping to develop a CCPA program that was tailored specifically to our business.‘

‘Tanya Forsheit is one of the leading authorities in data privacy, and our source of answers for the thorniest questions.‘

‘FKKS is strong at handling data privacy questions, and they manage time and expectations well.‘

‘Tanya Forsheit is a leader in the privacy field and very active with legislation.  Hands-on and wonderful with clients.‘

‘FKKS excels at staying current on data protection legal developments.  I count on FKKS to know what has happened, what is in the works and how the industry is responding.  FKKS provides pragmatic advice that is based on the most current legal and industry developments.‘

‘Tanya Forsheit is the most knowledgeable attorney that I have ever worked with on data protection matters.  If she doesn’t know the answer, it’s because there is no answer yet.‘

‘The team at Goodwin Procter is very hands on. From the moment you get on a call with them, its clear they deal with these issues on a very regular basis. They are not overly reactionary, putting things into perspective and providing insight into the seriousness of the issue.‘

‘Cyber incidents can be very scary for a company – some firms prefer to raise anxiety levels rather than calm them, which is Goodwin’s approach.‘

‘Goodwin brings to bear a truly powerful combination of best-in-class skill and experience and a passion for client care and advocacy that is truly unique in my experience. They have deep insights to offer their clients, insights informed and developed over years of on-point experience. In Cyber law, this group is second to none.‘

‘The Goodwin team has a great depth of experience and was able to quickly mobilize, within hours, and guide us through what could have been a significant business issue related to a data security incident. The team included tech savvy lawyers, litigators and privacy experts. I felt very comfortable knowing we had an experienced team advising my CEO.‘

‘The team was focused on the incident but also thinking through the potential lifecycle of the issue and started laying out a business focused and defensible plan. The lawyers were always available and leveraged a great team of outside consultants to help us through the incident. I hope I don’t need to engage them again but they would be my first call.‘

‘Brenda Sharton in particular is a true expert in this area. She has such a broad perspective on things having done such a variety of cases in different jurisdictions. She is so even keeled and really knows who on her team has the requisite expertise to get to the heard of the problem quickly. She is very solution oriented and is always finding ways to do it efficiently.‘

‘Brenda Sharton may be the best cyber lawyer I know and have had the privilege to work with, bar none. She is smart, dedicated and laser focused when it comes to helping her clients, especially clients who are often in a real bind and in need of urgent help. She brings a calmness to security incident storms that is truly helpful, empowering her clients to stay the course and get the best results.‘

‘David Kantrowitz is a fantastic cyber lawyer, who provides outstanding counsel and advice to his clients. He is smart, well versed in technological issues and provides truly valuable advice and counsel to his clients.‘

‘The two lawyers we work with regularly are Brenda Sharton and David Kantrowitz. Brenda leads the practice and has been mentoring and teaching David from his early associate days. They are a great client facing team and thee synergies they have gained from years of working together really makes it a better experience for a client. They set and manage them well allowing us to make decisions that we can stand behind.‘

‘Hogan Lovell’s breadth of practice is incredibly useful, and a differentiator. We can use them for worldwide research, with good consistency. They also are one of the few firms with an education privacy practice.‘

‘Very responsive and thorough, but practical. Available on short notice if needed. Good mix of seniority levels and participation, and great international breadth.‘

‘Mark Brennan is incredibly responsive and aware of client needs.‘

‘The breadth of the team’s capabilities by subject matter and jurisdiction make them thought-leaders I consult first on data privacy and protection matters.’

‘Very commercial approach, keen to take time to understand the risk profile of the client and its need. Great knowledge and understanding of global privacy laws.‘

‘Expert knowledge and ability to provide practical business solutions in an ever-evolving privacy landscape.‘

‘The Hunton team is second to none. It is local as well as international, and is particularly strong in maintaining a high quality of work irrespective of changes in resource or jurisdiction. I don’t have to explain to every attorney our business and structure because the team knows us. Clients’ institutional knowledge is acquired and maintained by the firm. This is both efficient and reassuring.‘

‘Hunton’s focus of work has been on CCPA applicability and compliance data breach preparation. They reflect a deep practice generally on federal law and specifically in CA and NY.‘

‘Unparalleled expertise, work product quality, responsiveness coupled with a refreshing pragmatism to help navigate the labyrinth of the legal and regulatory landscape.‘

‘Aaron Simpson is highly practical and can cut through the fog of ambiguous data privacy and protection rules and regulations and help you get your hands around the actual risk associated with the requirement and advise you efficiently on mitigation strategies.‘

‘Having good resources in the Hunton AK London and Brussels offices gives them a front row seat to everything unfolding in the UK and EU. The team includes subject matter experts in several areas.‘

‘Aaron Simpson is an outstanding lawyer and individual. Him and his team delivers very high value service to the client, in a prompt, commercial and reasonable way.‘

‘We have enjoyed working with all of the Hunton Andrews Kurth attorneys in the subject practice areas, Brittany Bacon in particular.  Brittany has been a valued contributor to our overall privacy program for many years and has taken the time to not only learn but prioritize our business needs.‘

‘Lisa Sotto is by far the country’s gold standard for privacy and cybersecurity matters. Her vast and sophisticated expertise streamlines complex issues with a practical approach. Lisa is a sharp problem solver who understands her clients’ business and delivers her work product accordingly. High quality, responsiveness and availability define her client obsessed practice.‘

‘Aaron Simpson is an industry leader uniquely positioned to advice clients with first-hand knowledge of Europe’s GDPR and U.S. privacy laws including the CCPA. Aaron provides creative and business oriented solutions.‘

‘Bacon Brittany was a rising star and is now a shining star. She is extremely detailed oriented, resourceful and an on-the-spot thinker who will clearly articulate the issue and provide a clear and viable path forward.‘

‘We chose the firm because Aaron Simpson appeared to possess what we needed. We couldn’t be more pleased. They have been completely responsive and extremely helpful. Turnaround is great and advice wise and based on extensive experience across many sectors.‘

‘Lisa Sotto’s skill and confidence as an expert and as a leader are evident and have allowed her to assemble a world class team of smart, hard-working, responsive associates who have taken up her professional example.‘

‘The cybersecurity team at King and Spalding is exceptional. Finding lawyers who truly understand the details of information technology is rare, and finding lawyers who can get hands-on with a compromised server and assist with forensic investigations is like meeting a unicorn. In addition to the unicorn-like technical knowledge, they are excellent partners when it comes to performing security assessments of both my organization and potential acquisitions.‘

‘This team is a remarkably cohesive group; they genuinely like and trust each other, which makes for incredibly strong relationships – which, in turn, they extend to their underlying clients.‘

‘Robert Hudock is a unicorn. He’s equally comfortable describing network packet flows and HIPAA. His work provides logical and defensible evidence of his legal opinions. Every time I work with him, I’m amazed. There is no one else like him.‘

‘Adam Solander perfectly understands the intersection of cybersecurity and contracting. He’s the lawyer I call when negotiating with a vendor who pushes back on security requirements. He’s equally adept at performing a technical risk assessment of the vendor and writing the contract language that will protect my company.‘

‘Michael Johnson is an amazing associate. His deep technical knowledge is used in both incident response and when performing risk assessments. I’m certain that giant technology companies would love to have his skills on their teams.‘

‘The team members are virtually unflappable, despite the incredible pressures and novel issues of fact and law with which they are presented. Their calm and their been-there-done-that attitude provides their clientele with tremendous comfort in times of tremendous stress.‘

‘Exceptional knowledge in these areas of practice, aggressive representation and great people.‘

‘Individuals offer candor, high ethics, are easy to communicate with and are great strategist.’

‘Easy to get along with and connections to the government officials working on their issues enabling them to provide pointed advice. Raj De and David Simon are stellar.‘

‘The team stand out for their expertise, responsiveness, and practical guidance.‘

‘They are knowledgeable and up to date on the law and deliver very thorough advice and counseling after listening carefully and asking clarifying questions.‘

‘The team, led by Andrew Konia, is innovative and responsive. Andrew is available 24-7, places client success first, and always keeps an eye on client bottom-line and cost. His team’s deep experience and rich competence in the space allows for effective and comprehensive legal advice to be delivered quickly. McGuireWoods places a serious premium on delivering outstanding results, but also works hard to make sure that its associates are given career development opportunities, have client contact, and (when possible) are not worked around the clock.‘

‘Andrew Konia and Ashley Mathews, in particular, have a terrific attitude and make great partners when providing advice and are capable project managers.‘

‘Andrew Konia is exceptionally available. He is exceptionally easy to work with, and always focused on client outcomes.‘

‘Practical advice given in a timely manner! They listen and provide guidance that can be applied to your actual situation.‘

‘Large number of talented attorneys specializing in a diverse array of privacy sub-specialties across numerous jurisdictions. For complex projects requiring multidisciplinary privacy expertise, they are a top-tier one-stop shop. Particularly strong on EU law, financial privacy, employment privacy, and M&A support.‘

‘We’ve worked with a few other firms on issues in this area, and Morrison & Foerster’s team has consistently been able to thoroughly understand our unique context, in order to provide expertly tailored and incredibly helpful advice. This has been an evolution over time – looking at the advice they give us now compared to that when our relationship started, it’s so much more bespoke and useful. I suppose that is to be expected, but I can say from experience that not all outside counsel are able to so thoroughly understand such context, and adjust their viewpoint and advice.‘

‘Christine Lyon provides clear, cool-headed advice even in stressful situations.‘

‘Mary Race is a talented and responsive senior associate.‘

‘Their advice has always been practical and practicable – easy to understand and to effect, because of their deep understanding of our organization and its goals.‘

‘This team is incredibly responsive and pragmatic. What sets them apart is their ability to provide business-minded advice.‘

‘Miriam Wugmeister has an incredible command of the law and can apply it in a business friendly manner. Miriam is also aware of budgetary constraints and does not try to add work just to increase the bill.‘

‘The Mofo team has deep experience in both privacy and cybersecurity, and their team covers all regions of the world. They are a true one-stop shop for global privacy and security advice. The team also has deep government experience, which in my view separates it from other firms, particularly in the cybersecurity space. That experience and those connections are invaluable when dealing with law enforcement, state actors, and other high profile incidents. The team also has expertise in our industry.‘

‘I’ve also found the team to be very deep and full of strong lawyers, from the senior partners to the junior associates. Unlike with some firms, I am comfortable interacting with MoFo’s junior and mid-level associates and have found them to be knowledgeable attorneys with good judgment.‘

‘John Carlin is an exceptional attorney with deep and diverse government experience. He has significant expertise in cybersecurity matters, and his government experience is critical in matters that require working with law enforcement and in high stress crisis management situations. His advice is highly strategic, and he is able to see all sides of an issue. He is also very down-to-earth and accessible, and his level of client service is the same regardless of whether he is speaking with a line in-house attorney, the general counsel, or the Board of Directors.‘

‘Alex Iftimie, an of counsel in the practice, has excellent judgment and strong experience, including in the government. He is the lead Mofo attorney on our day-to-day matters, and also takes a leading role in higher profile matters. He is a trusted advisor and counselor.‘

‘The team at Morrison and Foerster, at least in my opinion, is unique in that they have privacy experts globally. If we had a specific question for a specific country, they were able to identify an internal resource right away (or appoint an outside firm that was highly recommended). The guidance from all individuals at Morrison and Foerster was consistent and practical. They took the time to learn our business and provide practical guidance that we could easily use.‘

‘They were also quick to respond and provided responses in easy to understand format. They also appreciated you challenging their analysis, and they were able to provide legal advice from numerous points of view.‘

‘Chris Lyon (Partner) and Mary Race (Associate) were always responsive, and if they didn’t have an answer, they would find someone internally who could answer. Chris also took time to travel to our office to train our new General Counsel and Compliance Officer on GDPR which was very much appreciated.‘

‘Mary and Chris were always articulate and to the point with their responses, and never made me feel like their suggestions were the only way to conduct business. They took the time to learn about our business, and provide practical guidance to support our global manufacturing company.‘

‘The team has exceptional practitioner experience.‘

‘The team has exceptional relationships through out the legal, government and private sector and are able to create communities of professionals.‘

‘John Carlin and Miriam Wugmesiter have VERY unique real like experience that they’re able to translate into practical advice for large complicated multi-national companies. They are available and always engaged in matters.‘

‘Kristen Mathews is highly-competent, knowledgeable, dependable and accessible.‘

‘In short, the understanding of the team about the practical implications associated with data privacy practices and data protection. The unparalleled experience working on some of the most sensitive data breach cases in the US, which has provided the team with real insights into regulators and reputational risks that are further applied by the team to general advice or real case involvement.‘

‘One individual that stands out from any other privacy lawyers we have worked with is Aravind Swaminathan, his assertiveness, pragmatism, intelligence, and ability to quickly decipher complex, multi-dimensional risk scenarios is outstanding. Aravind’s ability to understand the business context and speak the business language is also outstanding and not common among law firms yet, in particular in the data privacy and protection practice.‘

‘Emily Tabatabai: her thoroughness and deep level of expertise combined with her ability to provide pragmatic, solid advice is also outstanding. Great commitment to dive in and helping us getting things done.‘

‘Very focused on solutions, very practical advice tied to your specific facts and industry and risk tolerance. I love them and know I can trust them with essentially any legal issue in this area and get a workable solution.‘

‘Anthony Kim, Aravind Swaminathan, Emily Tabatabai and David Curtis (associate) are phenomenal. They can give precise solutions, ask incisive questions, and can work within your company’s specific set of challenges to provide really workable solutions.‘

‘Very practical and business-savvy lawyers who understand moving at the speed of business. They understood that while responding to reporters might not be the best move from a legal perspective, our company nonetheless wanted to control the public message and worked to achieve our goals while protecting us legally. Also a great help with the practical realities of a data breach, such as helping navigating insurance coverage and working with identity theft monitoring.‘

‘Kari Rollins dug in deep and really understood the technical story as well as legal framework.‘

‘Liisa Thomas offers great advice and mastery of the space, while being super business friendly.‘