Wisconsin-based Quarles & Brady has added three attorneys to its data privacy and security practice, in two different locations, including a partner fresh out of a high-level privacy role at WeWork.

Hilary Lane and Greg Leighton have joined as partners in Tampa, Florida, and Chicago, respectively, the firm announced Wednesday. Also joining in Chicago is associate Bari Nathan. Leighton and Nathan both come from Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, while Lane joins the firm after short stints at Fenwick & West and embattled co-working company WeWork.

"They have a strong privacy team," Lane said in an interview, regarding her new firm. "I wanted to take my in-house experience and work with a variety of clients on the private practice side."

Lane said she plans to work with her established contacts in the private sector to help build her book of business, and that she already has onboarded a few clients since she started at Quarles & Brady in late April. She declined to name her clients.

After leaving NBCUniversal in 2019, Lane had short runs as a senior privacy and security adviser at Fenwick & West and the interim senior director and global head of privacy at WeWork.

Lane was at NBCUniversal for 14 years, the last five of which she served as the media company's chief privacy officer. Her practice is focused on state and federal privacy and cybersecurity laws, as well as global data protection laws such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation.

Lane said she also advises clients on legally appropriate ways to use data they collect, something that can be tricky for those who don't fully understand the various state, national and international compliance restrictions on data use.

Leighton, who was at Neal Gerber for over 12 years, counsels U.S. and international clients on privacy policies, data processing security, data movement and information governance programs, the firm said.

Nathan spent a little over two years at Neal Gerber. Before that she was a summer associate, law clerk and then staff attorney at Katten Muchin Rosenman. She handles issues such as internet terms and conditions, privacy policies and data breach responses, the firm said.

The recent increase in the number of people working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic has placed increased importance on data security because of the risks created by more people logging in from outside the office. Malware attacks on law firms have become more common recently as well.

"There is a lot of risk in working from home," Lane said. "Increased phishing, for one. The bad guys see opportunity there. And companies that didn't already have some form of work from home culture are really at risk, as they probably don't have the right security in place."

Linda Emery, national data privacy and security chairwoman at Quarles & Brady, said in a statement that the three new additions are "certain to make an immediate contribution to our clients and our firm."

"We look forward to working with them as they advise clients in developing privacy programs, responding to data breaches and guiding clients through the complex landscape of compliance with international, federal and state privacy laws and regulations," Emery said.

Quarles & Brady had a decent fiscal 2019, growing at 2.9% and surpassing the $270 million mark in gross revenue. It is ranked No. 118 in the 2020 Am Law 200.

|

Read More

Ransomware Attacks in the Legal Profession