Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Expands Global Privacy & Data Security Practice

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PALO ALTO, Calif., and BRUSSELS, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, today announced that Christopher Kuner has become a Senior Of Counsel at the firm. A renowned expert on European Union privacy and data protection regulation, Kuner was formerly a partner at Hunton & Williams. He will be based in the firm's Brussels office.

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"Chris is an accomplished and well-respected attorney with a prolific knowledge of EU regulatory law and superb contacts with data protection regulators around the world," said co-managing partner Douglas Clark. "He will strengthen the firm's ability to provide counsel in the critical area of global data protection and privacy compliance, a rapidly changing field that is of increasing concern for our clients. We are very pleased to welcome him to the firm and know that he will be a considerable asset to our highly regarded privacy practice."

"We are delighted to have Chris join our growing team," said Michael Rosenthal, who oversees the firm's Brussels office, which was established in 2011. "We have a terrific antitrust practice in place, and the addition of Chris's privacy practice allows us to offer a valuable portfolio of highly relevant EU legal services to our clients."

In his more than 15 years of practicing data protection and EU regulatory law, Kuner has represented clients in numerous dealings with the European Commission, the Article 29 Working Party, and European and national data protection authorities. He also successfully negotiated the EC's landmark adequacy decisions regarding the standard contractual clauses for controller-to-controller and controller-to-processor transfers, and has drafted a binding corporate rules (BCRs) application checklist approved by the Article 29 Working Party. In addition, he has assisted multinational clients in complying with the requirements of European data protection law, such as drafting data transfer agreements, joining the U.S. safe harbor system, adopting BCRs, dealing with employee data issues, and performing data security audits.

In addition to his work with clients, Kuner has been highly active in business associations, and serves as chairman of the Task Force on Privacy and the Protection of Personal Data of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris. He is also involved in leading international organizations dealing with privacy issues, such as the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He is a frequent speaker and author on data protection and privacy topics and serves as the editor-in-chief of International Data Privacy Law, a journal published by Oxford University Press. He also has served as a visiting fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute and, most recently, as a visiting lecturer and fellow at Cambridge University.

Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Kuner was a partner in the Brussels office of Hunton & Williams. Earlier in his career, he worked in the Brussels office of Morrison & Foerster and in the Frankfurt and Stuttgart offices of German law firm Gleiss Lutz. He received his LL.M. in international legal studies from the New York University School of Law in 1991, a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1984, and a B.A. in classics from Lawrence University in 1980.

About the Firm's Privacy & Data Security Practice

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's privacy and data security attorneys, including Lydia Parnes, the former director of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, were among the first to focus on privacy and information governance as a discrete and specialized practice. Our deep bench of attorneys has advised hundreds of companies on all aspects of privacy and data security law, both in the United States and abroad, and serves myriad industries, including online services, software, digital media and entertainment, e-commerce, and life sciences. Among many other matters, our attorneys have conducted comprehensive company-wide privacy audits, implemented regulatory compliance programs, spearheaded multi-pronged responses to computer security and data breaches, and resolved complex domestic and international e-commerce issues. We also have offered strategic advice to businesses on all manner of issues related to advertising and marketing practices and consumer protection. In addition, our attorneys successfully have defended clients facing government investigations, enforcement actions, and litigation, often involving bet-the-company matters.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

For more than 50 years, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offered a broad range of services and legal disciplines focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities litigation, employment law, intellectual property, and antitrust, among many other areas of law. With long-standing roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has offices in Austin; Brussels; Georgetown, DE; Hong Kong; New York; Palo Alto; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Shanghai; and Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.

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