The following story is one in a six-part series devoted to the pioneering teams that comprise the firm's new Digital Assets and Data Management Practice Group.
A prime example of BakerHostetler's preeminence in the legal industry is on display in its latest Practice Group, Digital Asset and Data Management (DADM), which offers holistic, enterprise-wide risk solutions to clients around "everything data." The multidisciplinary new addition – led by Theodore J. Kobus III, chair of the DADM Practice Group – is a strategic outgrowth of the firm's world-class Privacy and Data Protection and Advertising, Marketing and Digital Media teams, combined with the innovative legal technology R&D team, IncuBaker. It is comprised of more than 100 award-winning attorneys, technologists and support professionals from six diverse teams, enabling clients to better understand and navigate the intersection of digital business, emerging technologies and the law. The following offers an introduction to one of those six teams.
Who: The team leads are Partners Janine Anthony Bowen and Melinda McLellan.
What: The Privacy Governance and Technology Transactions team provides clients with sophisticated and effective support for their most forward-thinking initiatives. Intellectual property has long been a significant value driver for many businesses. Now the focus is on data, and companies must grapple with how best to harness the power of their information assets while guarding against security risks. The ability to balance these considerations without stifling innovation offers a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace.
Effective information governance requires careful attention to privacy and security risks across the organization and throughout each project life cycle. Our team works with clients to address these issues on multiple fronts, from advising on privacy and cybersecurity considerations in corporate transactions to counseling on best practices for data retention and destruction. This includes assisting with vendor selection and management, drafting and rigorously reviewing contract terms, implementing "privacy-by-design" in development, crafting policies and procedures for compliant execution, and conducting employee training on data protection requirements.
Why: The legal landscape in this area has evolved dramatically in recent years, making investment in privacy governance a C-suite priority. Continued legislative and regulatory attention to these issues is inevitable as an avalanche of threats to individual privacy, corporate security and even government stability dominates headlines every day. Whereas proactive privacy and data security compliance once was viewed as a secondary consideration, it has now become a key component of long-term business planning for clients across all industry sectors.
How: Our multidisciplinary team has years of dedicated experience providing clients with pragmatic and effective approaches to complying with the array of laws, regulations, industry standards and best practices that impact their business. Our privacy governance attorneys work with companies both to identify existing compliance gaps and to develop strategic approaches to managing potential legal risks as they plan for the future.
"A new decade requires fresh thinking about how best to enhance and deliver services to our clients," said Bowen. "The Privacy Governance and Technology Transactions team operates at the intersection of innovation and information, the place where value is created in business. This team merges the collective strengths of two distinct but highly synergistic practices into a powerful combination that will serve our clients well."
McLellan agrees, and adds that the team's coordination with the rest of the DADM Practice Group offers a clear benefit to clients. "This approach recognizes that meaningful collaboration across teams of talented, experienced professionals creates an exceptional value proposition: insightful legal counsel tailored to specific business concerns," she said. "By leveraging our collective understanding of big-picture risks and opportunities on the horizon we can deliver the kind of strategic, pragmatic advice that dynamic companies need to thrive."
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