The Firm is proud to announce that Partner Harris S. Freier, widely recognized for his employment litigation expertise with his focus on restrictive covenants, will expand his practice and Chair the Firm’s Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice.  While the Firm has been providing high quality and excellent representation of clients in this growing practice area for several years, the practice will be reenergized by Mr. Freier’s leadership who has been training for this role.  Mr. Freier was recently certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (“IAPP”)  as a Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT).  This CIPT certification and the other IAPP certifications are “widely hailed as the gold standard in privacy certification because [they are] the only certifications in the industry accredited under ANSI/ISO specifications and recognized under standards set by the International Accreditation Forum.”

Mr. Freier feels the firm is well positioned to become one of the leading firms in the New York metropolitan area in this field, explaining, “Based upon the firm’s well established reputation in compliance, governmental relations, crisis management, and high stakes litigation, our firm will be the go-to-firm for businesses responding to cyber-attacks, complying with federal and state specific breach notification laws, governmental notification requirements, and defending against related governmental investigations, and private cause of action lawsuits including class actions. “

Privacy & Cybersecurity have become key issues in many of the Firm’s well-known and established practice areas such as Autonomous Vehicle Law; Complex Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law & Business Transactions; Crisis Management; Education Law; Election Law & Litigation; Employment Law & Litigation; Energy & Utility Law; Health & Hospital Law; India Focus Group; Insurance Law; Intellectual Property; and Transportation, Shipping, Trucking & Logistics.  The Firm’s existing expertise in these areas provides a perfect synergy with the cutting edge & growing Privacy & Cybersecurity practice.

Mr. Freier will have leading industry expertise with him in the practice, including notably Partner Bill Megna who currently serves as Chief Privacy Officer for various health care insurance plans and is a leader in healthcare insurance privacy.  The Practice will be rounded out by seasoned Partners covering multiple different areas of specialties including Partners who have expertise in Privacy & Cybersecurity including Rajiv D. Parikh, Charles J. Messina, and Rebecca Moll Freed.

The team will work with businesses throughout the data life cycle from the often necessary collection of personal information of employees, customers, and prospective customers; guiding clients as they process personal information; and ultimately assisting clients regarding when they can or should delete or destroy personal data.

Privacy & Cybersecurity can be a legal minefield and we work with our clients to reduce potential liability  by assisting companies in drafting and implementing data privacy and security policies and practices, and related agreements with vendors and Business Associates.

Unfortunately for most businesses, despite the protections and policies we can help you put in place, data breaches occur daily, and it is a question of when, not if, personal data will eventually be compromised.  Our team reacts immediately once a data breach occurs and counsels clients regarding their legal obligations from breach notifications of affected individuals, to notifications of relevant state and potentially federal agencies.  Once a data breach occurs, depending on the size of the company and scope of the breach, the company may become the target of litigation, as data breaches are an increasingly attractive target for Plaintiffs’ class action lawyers.  We work with companies to defend these lawsuits so that they can go back to focusing on their organization’s mission and goals.

Angelo J. Genova, Esq., Chairman, and Co-Founder of the Firm has always looked to the future to anticipate clients legal needs.  “Privacy & Cybersecurity are quicky becoming crucial issues and potential liabilities for many of our clients, and Harris has the acumen, temperament, and expertise necessary to service our clients in this growing area.”

Genova Burns is proud of its reputation for the ability to offer a range of unsurpassed legal services in many practices areas and industries. It is truly a full-service firm on the cutting edge of market trends and opportunities with burgeoning practices like Privacy & Cybersecurity and Cannabis – including federal and state regulation and compliance matters – as well as extensive experience in labor law, real estate, transportation and logistics law, among others.  The key differentiator is the Firm’s ability to operate as a large firm; however, remain nimble enough to serve clients with an unrivaled personal approach and a “we can get it done” culture for which it is recognized.