After being individually shortlisted as “Leader of the Year: Legal” in 2023, the full European Data Protection, Privacy and Security team of K&L Gates is once again recognized for its expertise by being shortlisted as “Leading Law Firm” for the Piccaso Awards Europe 2024.
Congrats to the team and see you in London!
Once again, global law firm K&L Gates LLP has been ranked among the world’s 100 leading data law firms by Global Data Review’s GDR 100. The annual list examines law firms’ privacy and data protection capabilities, use of IP and confidentiality laws to protect proprietary data, and the firm’s work on all other personal and non-personal data laws at a global level.
Nearly two dozen K&L Gates lawyers were recognized in the 2024 GDR 100, including Paris partner Claude-Étienne Armingaud. Other partners leading the practice and identified in the profile include Melbourne partner Cameron Abbott, Seattle partners Shannan Frisbie, Whitney McCollum, David Bateman, and Carley Andrews, Washington, D.C., partner Bruce Heiman, Chicago partner Limo Cherian, London partner Sarah Turpin, and Research Triangle Park partners Gina Bertolini and Leah Richardson.
Clients provided positive feedback of their experience working with K&L Gates’ lawyers stating the team has “deep knowledge of privacy laws and regulations, but they also understand the business impact of their advice. This sets them apart from other firms in the market.”
K&L Gates’ Data Protection, Privacy, and Security practice boasts more than 60 lawyers and professionals with experience in various technologies and methodologies. From assessing risk to incident response, breach, and crisis counseling globally, the team is qualified to handle most data privacy and security compliance issues. The practice also assists with cross-border mergers and acquisitions and specialized services focused on emerging areas such as biometric data compliance and defense.
The full K&L Gates profile can be read at Global Data Review (subscription required).
We are thrilled to share our newest guide – and honor the 500 global cyber lawyers recognized here.
There is little in life or law that isn’t encoiled in the digital world these days. And these are the lawyers who connect it all – data and security, innovation and inspiration, litigation and exploration.
Defining what exactly a leading cyber lawyer is was part of the mission. The core of this guide are the privacy and data security specialists who began forming this practice well over a decade ago as companies experienced data breaches and attorneys scurried to become designated as privacy specialists.
But a deep dive on what lawyers and firms globally consider to be cybersecurity these days uncovered a world robust with former intelligence officers, hackers, government officials learning to parse competition claims regarding data sets, tech dealmakers turned to for their way around cyber protocols as deal points, litigators who defend Big Tech from claims of biometric privacy invasion. Robustly represented are former prosecutors and other government leaders whose portfolios detail vast experience in cyber crime security and prosecution.
Take TikTok as an example of the vast layers of legal regulation, national security, technology and consumer protection embedded in its affairs. We’re fascinated to watch the legal teams assemble to parse demands it be sold.
Specialists in regulation of drones and autonomous vehicles are represented here, alongside the legal world’s leading minds in national security, who guide on often old battles fought with new weapons.
To create this list – our inaugural edition – we weighed nominations, independent research and views of peers. This guide is 39 percent female and 19 percent inclusive. Those noted by an asterisk are esteemed members of our Hall of Fame.
Source: LawDragons
K&L Gates’s expertise in data and tech work has recently seen it advise on matters as diverse as AI and machine learning projects’ impact on personal data retention and transparency and the implications of augmented reality make-up applications and smart fragrances. While the firm has some significant tech companies on board, the client base skews more heavily towards advising more traditional industries through digital transformation.
The data protection, privacy and security practice has multiple leaders, reflecting its wide geographic spread.
Claude-Étienne Armingaud in Paris, who is a dual-qualified French and New York lawyer, is a stand-out name: besides GDPR and privacy compliance, he also has extensive experience advising on tech transactions, for example relating to software, blockchain, connected cars and more. Other partners leading the practice are Cameron Abbott in Melbourne; Shannan Frisbie, Whitney McCollum, David Bateman and Carley Andrews in the firm’s Seattle headquarters; Bruce Heiman in Washington, DC; Limo Cherian in Chicago; Gina Bertolini and Leah Richardson in the Research Triangle Park office in North Carolina; and Sarah Turpin in London.
The K&L Gates practice’s senior ranks grew with the addition of San Francisco partner Michael Stortz, who was formerly at Akin Gump. Thomas Nietsch was promoted to the partnership in Berlin. The firm also hired counsel Veronica Muratori in Milan from Withersworldwide; Avril Love in Los Angeles from Tucker Ellis; and Ulrike Elteste in Frankfurt from Covington & Burling.
Client references
“K&L Gates has deep expertise and knowledge in this area and is always responsive. Advice is always timely and well-considered.”
“Collaboration with K&L Gates is always seamless. The team have deep knowledge of privacy laws and regulations, but they also understand the business impact of their advice. This sets them apart from other firms in the market.”
First publication: Lexology GDR100
The ‘young and innovative team’ at K&L Gates LLP has a strong reputation in the market for its ability to handle data protection liability issues in M&A transactions and global data protection compliance mandates. Areas of activity for the practice include machine learning, autonomous driving and blockchain-based services. Claude-Étienne Armingaud heads up the team and is described as a ‘fount of knowledge on the subject of privacy and data protection‘. He is frequently sought out by clients from the software industry for assistance with cross-border technology transactions.
Other Key Lawyer(s): Camille Scarparo
(more…)Practice head(s): Claude-Etienne Armingaud
(more…)K&L Gates LLP covers a myriad of IT and internet issues, from GDRP compliance to contract negotiation. The firm is notable for its expertise in IP and data protection matters, as well as, increasingly, AI, NFT and blockchain issues. The practice is led by Claude-Etienne Armingaud, who is dual-qualified in France and the US, and is consequently well placed to handle multi-jurisdictional transactions.
Practice head(s): Claude-Etienne Armingaud
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Entering Chambers Europe/France TMT: Data Protection ranking as an Up & Coming lawyer.
Client testimonials:
Claude-Étienne has a vision that goes beyond IT into other areas, so he gives multidisciplinary and strategic insights. He is also pleasant to work with and efficient.
He works really efficiently for us; he is really dedicated and clearly passionate about it too.
Source: Chambers Europe
New ranking in Who’s Who Data 2024 as Recommended in the Data Privacy & Protection and Information Technology categories.
K&L Gates ranked “Highly Recommended 1/2” with Claude-Etienne Armingaud.
Source: Leaders League
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