Experienced data privacy and cybersecurity attorney Blair Dawson joins Chicago office of McDonald Hopkins

CHICAGO, March 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blair L. Dawson has joined the Chicago office of McDonald Hopkins LLC as a Member, where her decades of in-house and corporate experience in the financial and insurance industries combined with her background in responding to data security incidents will enhance the firm's national Data privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group.

Dawson an ANSI-accredited International Association of Privacy Professionals Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM). She is currently preparing for the Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E). She is also working towards a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a completion date estimated in the spring of 2024.

"Blair's level of data privacy experience and expertise, coupled with her knowledge of the latest developments in this evolving area of law make her an invaluable addition to our team," says Dominic Paluzzi, Co-Chair of McDonald Hopkins' Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group. "Every day, our clients are facing the growing threat of more prevalent and more dangerous cyber attacks. Having someone like Blair who can provide proactive guidance and incident response support in the event of an attack adds tremendous strength to our rapidly growing cyber team."

Dawson has spent more than 20 years as an attorney in Chicago, including two years as General Counsel and Senior Vice President in Insurance Management for Acrisure, LLC– one of the largest international insurance brokers in the world. While there, she developed and oversaw the company's complex insurance program, implementing cyber incident response policies and protocols, overseeing risk management, engaging in insurance program negotiations, managing litigated and non-litigated claims, providing client training to mitigate risk, and resolving insurance coverage disputes.

Dawson's practice includes extensive experience responding to data security incidents while ensuring her clients remain compliant with state, federal and international requirements, as well as managing operational and reputational impact. She has managed numerous international claims, coordinating with her clients' general counsel, and regularly provides coverage and monitoring of litigation and pre-litigation matters and insurance claims. Dawson also develops and provides oversight for complex insurance programs, implementing cyber incident response policies and protocols, overseeing risk management, engaging in insurance program negotiations, retaining and overseeing outside counsel, providing client training to mitigate risk, and resolving insurance coverage disputes.

Dawson's experience also includes representing private companies and public entities whose operations have been affected by ransomware attacks. She works with clients and third-parties, including forensic investigators, law enforcement and ransomware negotiators to identify and contain the incident, minimize disruption to business operations, deliver effective public communications, minimize exposure to possible litigation and regulatory investigations, and avoid further attacks.

Dawson also consults with clients on compliance issues, utilizing knowledge of U.S. and international privacy laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA),Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

After earning her B.A. from Marquette University, Dawson completed her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Dawson can be reached at [email protected] or at 312.642.6131.

About McDonald Hopkins National Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group
The Data Privacy and Cybersecurity team at McDonald Hopkins has counseled clients in nearly every industry on responding to thousands of data breaches and privacy incidents. As a Platinum Breach Coach®, we work closely with law enforcement, forensic investigators and third-party cybersecurity vendors to offer organizations efficient and effective incident response services in compliance with the numerous and rapidly changing state, federal, international and industry-specific privacy and breach notice laws. We also offer Cyber Savvy pre-breach services that focus on proactively managing personal, sensitive and confidential information and minimizing the risk of a data privacy incident. Our experienced team provides client support during investigations by state, federal and international regulators, and we have significant experience in privacy litigation prosecution (indemnification) and defense (single plaintiff and class action).

About McDonald Hopkins
Founded in 1930, McDonald Hopkins is a business advisory and advocacy law firm with locations in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, and West Palm Beach. With more than 50 service and industry teams, the firm has the expertise and knowledge to meet the growing number of legal and business challenges our clients face. For more information about McDonald Hopkins, visit mcdonaldhopkins.com.

CONTACT:David CarducciMcDonald Hopkins LLC
600 Superior Avenue, East, Suite 2100
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Phone: 216.348.5814
Email: [email protected]

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