Privacy Lawyers Up

With such surveys as the Unisys National Security Index reporting that people are growing more concerned about identity theft and privacy violations, it is no wonder that attorneys would see a specialized practice.

For example, Zalud’s Blog has learned that Foley & Lardner has formed a Privacy Litigation Task Force, a dedicated, multi-disciplinary team of attorneys and support personnel that will help clients address the growing threat of privacy-related litigation.

“We are the first to form a specialized and committed litigation team of this kind that is able to assist clients with developing and implementing policies to address privacy, security and information management risks, and with the litigation that can ensue when these policies are compromised,” said Andrew Serwin, chair of the Privacy, Security & Information Management Practice and co-chair of the Privacy Litigation Task Force. “Being able to provide these unique services is extremely important as more companies are faced with privacy and information security incidents.”

This team will assist clients in addressing such matters as litigation arising from security breaches; improper exporting and disclosure of information; improper delivery of commercial emails, including the e-mail case brought by then Attorney General Eliot Spitzer; violation of state medical privacy laws, and other matters related to the disclosure of emails and personally identifiable health and financial information.

An increased focus on information security and privacy concerns has resulted in an increase in the number of lawsuits filed on behalf of consumers whose data has been compromised, as well as litigation that results from misuse of a company’s information. As a result, Foley has assembled a multidisciplinary team of attorneys with strong backgrounds in class actions, government enforcement matters and electronic discovery to address these unique issues. Team members include co-chairs Andy Serwin, founding chair of the Privacy, Security & Information Management Practice, Eileen Ridley, vice-chair-elect of the Firm’s Litigation Department and its Litigation Specialties Practice and Michael Tuteur, chairman-elect of the Firm’s Litigation Department and a member of its Securities Enforcement and White Collar Defense practice.