Principal Jeremy D. Matz was featured in the Daily Journal article “White Collar Practitioners Find Synergies in Data Breach Work” (July 23, 2014).
Mr. Matz discusses how he and other former federal prosecutors have expanded their practice beyond traditional white-collar matters and now regularly assist companies with preventing and reacting to data breaches and hacker attacks. In such cases, companies frequently find themselves in the dual positions of a victim and a subject of government interest. With increased regulatory scrutiny – including from the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, based on allegations of lost customer data and delayed or insufficient public disclosures – companies must navigate through difficult and sensitive litigation, business, and public relations issues. As Mr. Matz explains, former federal prosecutors are uniquely positioned to handle such matters: “A handful of us in the white collar unit [at the United States Attorney’s Office] ended up developing some expertise in cybercrime cases out of interest and out of the fact that there was nobody else around to do it.”