Trailblazer brings deep experience in high-profile investigations to renowned team as it continues to bolster its roster

BakerHostetler is pleased to announce that Partner Laura Jehl has joined the firm, resident in the Washington, D.C., office, as a member of the Chambers-ranked privacy and data protection team. Jehl’s standing as one of the first attorneys to develop privacy policies and litigate internet law makes her a dynamic addition to the firm’s highly respected cybersecurity practice.

As former vice president and chief litigation counsel at America Online Inc., Jehl led AOL’s response to several government investigations, including early Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigations into privacy matters. She joins BakerHostetler from Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, where she served as a co-leader of that firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice and its blockchain technology and digital currency group.

“We are able to attract top-level laterals like Laura because we work on interesting and complex matters for well-known clients from a wide variety of industries. We have an established team with very specific and deep experience in all aspects of privacy and cybersecurity,” said Ted Kobus, leader of the privacy and data protection team. “Laura adds depth to our ability to assist clients in emerging technologies, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence, which are key focus areas for us and our clients.”

Jehl brings more than 25 years of experience counseling multinational companies on issues related to cybersecurity, data breaches, international and domestic data privacy laws, data transfer, big data controversies, and compliance counseling. In addition, she has been involved in responding to large-scale state-sponsored cybersecurity incidents, complex federal and state government investigations, and resulting litigation in a multitude of industries, including healthcare, internet technology, hospitality, retail, aerospace and defense, blockchain, and financial services. Jehl played a key role in managing one of the nation’s largest reported healthcare data breaches, which involved the personal information of 80 million individuals. 

Jehl is particularly focused on working closely with U.S. law enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Secret Service, the FTC and the Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as state and local authorities. In addition to her focus on cybersecurity, she provides privacy counsel on matters related to blockchain technology and digital currency and helps businesses conduct privacy risk assessments and respond to government investigations.

“One of Laura’s strengths is her ability to see business opportunities our clients may legally derive from data generated through the use of new and evolving technologies,” said Jeffrey Paravano, managing partner of BakerHostetler’s Washington, D.C., office. “We are incredibly excited about working with Laura to bring her seasoned capabilities and her deep understanding of privacy laws to help our clients succeed.”

“I joined the BakerHostetler team because they are driven to find solutions that fit the operations of their clients,” said Jehl. “I'm excited to add my experience addressing high-profile, high-stakes investigations to the team.”

Jehl earned her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1991, and her A.B. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1986, where she earned the university and departmental highest honors and received the John Gardner Fellowship for Public Service. Jehl is an International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP).

BakerHostetler’s award-winning team continues to experience strategic growth, having added high-profile laterals in a number of key markets, due to its reputation for effectively managing data security incidents, responding to regulatory investigations, providing risk assessments and compliance counseling, and defending class actions. Ranked in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA --Privacy & Data Security, as well as Chambers Global – USA, Privacy & Data Security, the team is a cross-disciplinary practice of more than 40 attorneys who have counseled clients nationally and internationally through more than 2,000 data breach and ransomware responses.

The annual BakerHostetler Data Security Incident Response Report is regarded as one of the industry’s most credible analyses of data security incidents companies face. In its third year, the report helps companies understand potential threats, protect their data and fine-tune their incident response plans. In response to recent ransomware events, the privacy and data protection practice has formed a SWAT team of dedicated on-call privacy and data protection attorneys experienced in the evolution of ransomware. The SWAT team members help clients immediately address whether and how to pay ransom, how to preserve crucial data to ensure business continuity, when to engage with law enforcement, and how to draft crisis communications.

About BakerHostetler

Recognized as one of the top firms for client service, BakerHostetler is a leading national law firm that 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 more than 940 lawyers located in 14 offices coast to coast. BakerHostetler is widely regarded as having one of the country’s top 10 tax practices, a nationally recognized litigation practice, an award-winning data privacy practice and an industry-leading business practice. The firm is also recognized internationally for its groundbreaking work recovering more than $11 billion in the Madoff Recovery Initiative, representing the SIPA Trustee for the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. Visit bakerlaw.com.