Thompson Hine LLP

Privacy & Cybersecurity

Steve is a trusted attorney, leader, and adviser on cybersecurity, data privacy, and national security issues, and he has deep experience providing legal advice and counsel to private-sector executives as well as White House and other senior government officials. In particular, Steve helps clients develop and implement data governance frameworks and internal policies and procedures to address evolving data privacy and digital marketing laws. Steve is also a Data Breach Coach and frequently assists clients in responding to ransomware attacks, business email compromises, and other cybersecurity incidents. He has firsthand experience responding to multimillion-dollar ransomware demands, retaining independent digital forensic and incident response firms, negotiating ransom pricing with threat actors, coordinating incident reporting with law enforcement and regulatory authorities, and facilitating data breach notification letters and communications. In addition, Steve assists defense contractors and other private-sector businesses in satisfying cybersecurity standards issued by the federal government and in developing and maintaining insider threat programs.

Steve has obtained multiple credentials from the International Association of Privacy Professionals related to government and private sector data protection laws, statutes, regulations, and industry standards.

Also an adjunct law professor, Steve teaches courses on topics related to foreign affairs, intelligence activities, and national security law at the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Prior to joining Thompson Hine, Steve spent a total of 10 years serving in the federal government, including seven years with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). While at DHS, he served as senior counsel in the Department’s Intelligence Law Division in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw the Department’s foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, and cybersecurity intelligence activities, including the production of cybersecurity threat assessments and data breach response recommendations for the private sector. He advised his clients on Executive Order 12333 and other intelligence community directives, orders, and procedures governing the collection, retention, and dissemination of foreign and domestic intelligence and data. Steve also provided guidance to DHS officials on designing and implementing programs and policies regulating the storage and safeguarding of classified and unclassified information and assisted DHS in designing and implementing an insider threat program in compliance with Executive Order 13587 and other national policies and standards.

In addition, Steve was selected to serve as a deputy legal adviser to the president’s National Security Council. In this role, he counseled White House officials on developing and coordinating a broad range of national security policies and programs, including on cybersecurity, intelligence and surveillance, and information sharing with foreign partners and the private sector.

Georgetown University Law Center, LL.M. University of Akron School of Law, J.D., editor, Akron Law Review The Ohio State University, B.A.