Our Privacy & Security team works with the world’s most innovative companies on data protection issues. We are at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies and evolving privacy norms and are known for providing strategic, creative and actionable advice to our clients.

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Overview

Our Privacy & Security team works with the world’s most innovative companies on data protection issues. We are at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies and evolving privacy norms and are known for providing strategic, creative and actionable advice to our clients.

Perkins Coie’s Privacy & Security group is known for the breadth and depth of its expertise. We represent clients across a wide range of industries and stages of growth, from startups to Fortune 500 companies in technology, retail, digital publishing, advertising, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare and education, among other sectors. We help our clients understand their information practices and navigate the full lifecycle of data protection issues—from building privacy and security programs from the ground up to ongoing privacy counseling, complex commercial transactions, high-stakes privacy litigation and regulatory enforcement. Our team is comprised of litigators, former regulators, national security experts, and technologists who have deep expertise across the following pillars of our practice.

Perkins Coie’s Privacy & Security group is known for the breadth and depth of its expertise. We represent clients across a wide range of industries and stages of growth, from startups to Fortune 500 companies in technology, retail, digital publishing, advertising, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare and education, among other sectors. We help our clients understand their information practices and navigate the full lifecycle of data protection issues—from building privacy and security programs from the ground up to ongoing privacy counseling, complex commercial transactions, high-stakes privacy litigation and regulatory enforcement. Our team is comprised of litigators, former regulators, national security experts, and technologists who have deep expertise across the following pillars of our practice.

Privacy Counseling & Compliance

We counsel clients on the full alphabet soup of U.S. and international privacy laws. We frequently advise clients on compliance with laws such as the FTC Act, HIPAA, FCRA, GLBA, CAN-SPAM, COPPA, FERPA, VPPA, TCPA, BIPA, state breach notification laws and omnibus privacy legislation such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), and other emerging state privacy laws. We also worked alongside the California Chamber of Commerce and led key industry coalitions in developing comments in the CCPA rulemaking process and in negotiations on the ballot initiative that later became the CPRA.

We have worked with hundreds of clients to develop privacy programs that comply with global privacy laws. We are innovative in our approach and have launched various tools to help our clients build and manage their privacy and security programs, including the Privacy Starter Kit, and Data Navigator.

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Privacy Litigation

Our litigators represent and defend clients in class action litigation related to privacy and security issues. We have defended privacy class actions across the country that cover the spectrum of claims—from alleged violations of federal and state privacy laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Stored Communications Act (SCA), Wiretap Act, and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), to more general claims involving consumers’ personal data, such as common law intrusion upon seclusion and violation of constitutional privacy rights.

Building on our deep expertise in wiretapping and other privacy-related claims, and years of experience representing the world’s biggest technology companies, we have also emerged as the go-to firm for biometrics litigation. Leveraging our successful defense of Google in its first biometrics class action, we have represented numerous companies in these cases. In addition to developing novel defenses, we regularly counsel clients on designing their products to mitigate risk in this area.

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Privacy Regulatory Investigations & Enforcement

We handle some of the highest-profile privacy, data security, and consumer protection investigations and enforcement actions of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), state attorneys general, local regulators, and foreign data protection authorities. Companies across a wide array of industries, ranging from startups to some of the world’s largest corporations, turn to us for counsel at all stages of investigations, inquiries, negotiations, and lawsuits.

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Data Security Counseling & Breach Response

Our data security and breach response team regularly represents clients in building security programs and managing breach responses. Our team has handled hundreds of matters involving data breaches and security incidents in the United States and around the world. We also maintain a popular 50-state security breach notification chart that tracks breach notification requirements in the United States.

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ECPA Counseling & Litigation

The firm’s premier Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) practice helps global technology leaders and rising startups respond to, and where appropriate, object to and litigate, requests for user data. Our attorneys routinely counsel on and litigate cutting-edge issues concerning the intersection of user privacy and online communications, governmental surveillance and criminal investigations, and free speech and expression.

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Transactional Privacy

Clients turn to us for assistance with complex commercial transactions in which data is a core part of the deal. Our team has deep experience drafting and negotiating data protection agreements and other commercial agreements and counseling clients on the impact of data protection provisions in these agreements, including insurance, indemnity and liability clauses. We also have deep experience supporting M&A transactions for both buy-side and sell-side deals, which includes drafting privacy and security-related requests and disclosures, assessing potential compliance gaps and recommending mitigation measures, preparing privacy representations and disclosure schedules, and leading negotiations with counterparties on privacy and security issues.

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We are ranked by Chambers USA among the best firms in the nation for privacy and data security.

Accolades

Industry Reputation

  • Named “Law Firm of the Year” in Technology Law by Best Lawyers, 2024

  • Ranked globally in Nationwide Technology by Chambers USA, 2023
  • Ranked nationally in Privacy & Data Security: The Elite and Privacy & Data Security: Litigation by Chambers USA, 2003-2023
  • Ranked globally in Privacy & Data Security USA and Privacy & Data Security: Litigation USA by Chambers Global Guide, 2023-2024
  • Ranked in the Top 10 Best Law Firms for Privacy and Data Security by Vault, 2018-2022
  • Ranked Tier 1 nationally for both Information Technology Law and Technology Law by U.S. News—Best Lawyers® in 2022
  • Ranked Tier 2 nationally for Regulatory Enforcement Litigation (Telecom) by U.S. News—Best Lawyers® in 2022
  • Named as one of the top law firm Litigation Powerhouses by Law360 in 2016
  • Named a Leader among tech-savvy law firms based on corporate counsel feedback to BTI Brand Elite in 2016
  • Named Law Firm of the Year for Technology Law by U.S. News—Best Lawyers® in 2015

Experience

Resources

News

Insights

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The Perkins Coie Privacy Group brings you the latest privacy developments. This blog will provide updates and insights on emerging privacy and data security issues across an increasingly complex legal, regulatory, and technical landscape.

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