What do you do?
I am a member of Alston & Bird’s litigation and trial practice team, which unsurprisingly makes me a data and privacy litigator. Usually I come in on the back end, defending data breach and TCPA class actions, among other data and privacy matters, but I also counsel clients on specific issues related to the same.
Career highlights?
I have been fortunate to defend some of the biggest data-breach cases in the country, working hand-in-hand with our technology and privacy team, which is often on the ground with the client at the time the breach is discovered.
Influences and mentors?
With data and privacy litigation being relatively cutting edge, it has been fun to work with my colleagues as we all really learn this area of the law. My partners Kristy Brown, Cari Dawson and Donald Houser have been big influences through this process as we all have grown together in the data and privacy area.
Advice for young lawyers?
My advice is to learn how to be as good a lawyer as you can be. There is no one particular skill that is going to make a young attorney a better data and privacy lawyer than another. But being a good writer and being able to think quickly and creatively are key assets to anyone looking to be a successful litigator.
If you hadn’t been a lawyer...
Prior to going to law school, I worked in Major League Baseball, first for the Colorado Rockies and then for the Atlanta Braves. If I weren’t a lawyer, I’d imagine I would have continued down that path and would still be in a major league front office.
What’s everyone talking about?
In data-breach litigation and in TCPA litigation, parties are still wrestling over core issues like standing, duty, and guidance from the relevant governmental authorities. The results of these fights will shape litigation in this area going forward and are, therefore, front of mind for all data and privacy litigators.
What do you do to relax?
I have three children under the age of six, so I like to spend as much time as I can with them (though it is not always relaxing). I also enjoy playing golf and am trying to get them to pick up the sport and join me on the course.