MoFo's Global Privacy Practice Expands In Europe

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• USA - Nederlands

BERLIN and LONDON, Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Morrison & Foerster adds two prominent lawyers to its already top ranked Global Privacy and Data Security Group in Europe.  

Lokke Moerel and Alex van der Wolk will be based out of the Berlin office. Mr. van der Wolk will become a partner and Ms. Moerel will be Senior Of Counsel, a role that will allow her to continue teaching and to work on cutting edge privacy/data protection issues. Ms. Moerel and Mr. van der Wolk both join the firm from De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek in the Netherlands. 

Ms. Moerel, who focuses on data protection law and information/communications technology, is among Europe's best-known privacy lawyers. She advises companies on global information handling governance, strategy and compliance. Frequently called on by European regulators for counsel, she heads a working group of chief privacy officers and in-house lawyers at leading European multinationals that developed a new set of binding data protection rules in consultation with the Dutch data protection authority. These Binding Corporate Rules have since received EU-wide approval. Ms. Moerel's clients include world-leading brands in technology, energy, banking and financial services, retail, consumer electronics, and apparel, among other sectors from around the world.

Mr. van der Wolk advises global companies on data protection strategy and compliance governing all aspects of information management. That includes helping clients develop privacy strategies for Big Data, social media, loyalty programs, vendor relations, and other areas.  Mr. van der Wolk is often called upon to head crisis management teams for clients facing investigations by regulators, and data protection authorities, as well as responding to cybersecurity incidents.   

"Our European team will be strengthened by the addition of these two luminaries in the privacy world, Lokke and Alex," said Paul Friedman, MoFo's managing partner for Europe.  "Having recently added a large transaction-driven office in Berlin and seeing a continued increase in work across Europe, we count privacy and data security as among the most important practices we provide to our European clients who operate globally and to our global clients who operate in Europe. Our ability to deliver superior results for the most sophisticated and complex privacy and data security questions will be ensured with their addition to our global team."

"The role played by European regulators relating to global companies' privacy and data protection functions has grown enormously in recent years, impacting virtually every aspect of business. Our clients in Europe and globally will benefit significantly from the addition of Lokke and Alex, who have worked closely with leading European companies in developing best practices on privacy and data security that meet regulatory scrutiny," said Miriam Wugmeister, co-chair of MoFo's Global Privacy and Data Security Group. 

"Given the continued surge in large-scale data breach events and computer hacks affecting every type of business at the most granular and global levels, companies need to be well fortified, not only with the best technological defenses, but with robust compliance and incident response protocols in place if information is compromised," commented Andrew Serwin, co-chair of MoFo's Global Privacy and Data Security Group and a well-known cybersecurity expert. "Lokke Moerel is among the leading advisers in Europe in these critical areas.  Our group and our clients will benefit enormously from the skill set and experience that she and Alex bring at a critical time in European privacy law," he added.

Ms. Moerel and Mr. van der Wolk join a globally top-ranked Privacy and Data Security Practice Group comprised of over 60 practitioners worldwide.  The multidisciplinary practice provides representation in corporate, financial services, and employment matters, technology transactions, investigations and litigation.  

"Alex and I have long been aware of Morrison & Foerster's privacy and cyber security work – the firm has established itself as one of the top advisers globally on evolving areas of privacy and data breach compliance and data security incident response," Ms. Moerel said. "We are thrilled about the opportunity to join MoFo, which has been ahead of the curve in providing practical legal advice worldwide. We were particularly attracted to the firm's resources, stellar reputation and culture and see a tremendous opportunity to grow our practice."

In addition to their core privacy work, the two attorneys advise on technology transactions, including deals involving large business outsourcing and cloud computing, as well as e-commerce matters. They also frequently provide counsel on social media and telecom issues. 

Ms. Moerel received an LL.M. at Cambridge University and a postgraduate degree in ICT law from the University of Nijmegen.  She earned her undergraduate degrees from the University of Leiden. Ms. Moerel is a professor of global ICT law at the Tilburg Institute of Law, Technology, and Society of Tilburg University. 

Mr. van der Wolk received an LL.M. from Columbia University and a postgraduate degree in ICT law from the University of Nijmegen. He earned his undergraduate and master degree from the University of Amsterdam. Mr. van der Wolk is a frequent speaker at international data privacy conferences, including IAPP, and is a guest lecturer at the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society of Tilburg University. 

For regular updates from MoFo's Global Privacy and Data Security Group, please follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoFoPrivacy

ABOUT MOFO

We are Morrison & Foerster—a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. We've been included on The American Lawyer's A-List for 11 straight years, and the Financial Times named the firm number six on its 2013 list of the 40 most innovative firms in the United States. Chambers USA honored the firm as its sole 2014 Corporate/M&A Client Service Award winner, and recognized us as both the 2013 Intellectual Property and Bankruptcy Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger.

Jocelyn De Carvalho, Public Relations Manager
(212) 336-4051, [email protected]

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