NEW YORK, February 6, 2014—BakerHostetler announced today that is has formally organized a practice capability around clients’ needs in the area of Information Governance. The newly created cross-practice team, led by Partner Judy Selby and Counsel James Sherer, draws upon the firm’s established expertise in the areas of Privacy and Data Protection and E-Discovery Advocacy and Management.
“Information is the lifeblood of businesses today, but many entities are overwhelmed by the volume of their data, as well as associated privacy, regulatory, legal, and security concerns. A comprehensive Information Governance policy provides an important accountability framework for the effective management of information that permits an organization to maximize its value while reducing associated costs and risks,” says Selby.
“The focus of our Information Governance practice is a client-driven partnership that incorporates strategic, intelligent planning among different client stakeholders, while still providing immediate availability and scalability to help our clients deal with emergencies if and when they arise. The practice is focused on the totality of the information lifecycle, not just on fire drills; and by its very nature it draws upon experience outside of the traditional law firm practice norms, including data privacy, data security, and records and information credentialed professionals, such as BakerHostetler CRMs Dondi Duffy and Jan Kidd,” adds Sherer.
“We have helped clients manage more than 600 data security incidents, so we have seen where companies are vulnerable. With an increasing focus on big data concerns by regulators, it made sense to formalize a team focused specifically on strategic information governance,” says Privacy and Data Protection Co-Leader Ted Kobus. Combining the strength and leadership in the complex realm of data security with the strategic perspective of discovery advocacy, the Information Governance team provides clients with tailored, strategic advice, information retention and management, development and execution of enterprise-wide governance policies, pre-transaction due diligence and compliance, system audits and assessments, legal remediation projects, and employee and officer training.
“Many companies are overwhelmed by the thought of managing their data and other information. BakerHostetler has created two offerings for companies that can open the door and initiate those conversations –an information governance workshop and a RIMS risk assessment,” adds Kobus.
The Information Governance team is supported by BakerHostetler’s national E-Discovery Advocacy and Management team, led by Karin Scholz Jenson and Gilbert Keteltas, that currently manages one of the largest and most complex data sets currently at issue in any single litigation in the United States: the SIPA liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. They are also supported by one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive practices in the area of data privacy and information security, led by partners Kobus, Jerry Ferguson and Pamela Jones Harbour.
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About BakerHostetler One of the nation’s largest law firms, BakerHostetler helps clients around the world to address their most complex and critical business and regulatory issues. With five core national practice groups – business, employment, intellectual property, litigation, and tax – the firm has nearly 900 lawyers located in 14 offices coast to coast. BakerHostetler is recognized for its role as court-appointed counsel to the Securities Investor Protection Act (SIPA) Trustee in the recovery of billions of dollars in principal lost in the Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Bernard L. Madoff. Additionally, BakerHostetler is widely regarded as having one of the country’s top 10 tax practices, a nationally recognized litigation practice, data privacy practice, and an industry-leading middle market business practice. For more information, visit www.bakerlaw.com.
