Laura Jehl Joins Sheppard Mullin Washington, D.C. Office as Partner and Co-Leader of Firm's Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - February 16, 2016) - Laura E. Jehl has joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the Business Trial practice group, based in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Jehl's move to Sheppard Mullin follows a distinguished career in Internet, technology, privacy and data protection law and business. Jehl joins Sheppard Mullin from Levick, a strategic communications and public affairs firm, where she served as Senior Strategist, counseling clients facing legal and media scrutiny, primarily involving cybersecurity and data breaches, privacy practices, litigation and government investigations. Prior to that, Jehl spent six years as General Counsel, Chief Privacy and Security Officer at Resolution Health, Inc. ("RHI"), a subsidiary of Fortune 50 health insurer, Anthem, Inc. Among other roles at RHI and Anthem, Jehl led Anthem's highly regarded response to a cyberattack that resulted in the theft of 80 million customer records.

"Our clients rely on us for effective cybersecurity solutions," said Guy N. Halgren, Chairman of the firm. "Laura's considerable experience responding to high-profile cyberattacks and government investigations working for such companies as RHI/Anthem, AOL and Levick adds depth to our growing Privacy & Cybersecurity practice, a strategic priority for our firm. Her expertise and team-oriented approach to problem solving are an ideal fit."

Craig Cardon, co-leader of Sheppard Mullin's Privacy & Cybersecurity practice added, "Laura provides unrivaled expertise in responding to cyberattacks and data breaches, as well as in advising and representing businesses on the privacy and 'big data' issues that are areas of critical concern for our clients. I am delighted to be practicing with Laura and working closely with her and our other co-leader Brian Anderson to grow our team and continue to service the privacy and cybersecurity needs of our clients."

"I am thrilled to join Sheppard Mullin and to join Craig and Brian in leading the Privacy & Cybersecurity practice," Jehl commented. "I have been extremely impressed by the firm's strategic vision in anticipating the practical privacy and cybersecurity needs of companies and in creating business-friendly solutions to address those needs. I feel at home in the firm's entrepreneurial and collegial culture and am excited to collaborate with the firm's talented attorneys to find the best and most efficient solutions to help our clients in this area."

With more than two decades of in-house and private practice experience, Jehl has represented clients on a wide range of business and legal matters, including privacy, data security, breach response, litigation and government investigations, crisis management, Internet, digital media, technology and First Amendment matters.

Earlier, Jehl served as Vice President and Chief Litigation Counsel at America Online, Inc. ("AOL"), where she played a critical role in the development of Internet law, most notably involving the Internet Service Provider (ISP) immunity provisions of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the development of privacy policies and protections for AOL users, the legal battle against junk email, and in achieving, on behalf of AOL subsidiary Netscape, a significant settlement of its antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft. In addition, Ms. Jehl led AOL's response to a number of high-profile government investigations, including early Federal Trade Commission investigations into privacy matters, and investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission and State Attorneys General. She also played a critical role in securing domestic and international regulatory approval of AOL's merger with Time Warner in 2000, then the largest corporate merger in history. Jehl later held a business role as Chief of Staff to AOL's Vice Chairman, where she was responsible for strategic corporate initiatives and operations involving AOL's technology development, marketing, legal, corporate communications and human resources departments. 

Prior to joining AOL, Jehl was an associate at a leading Washington, D.C. law firm. Jehl received a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and a B.A. with highest honors from the University of California at Berkeley.

Sheppard Mullin has more than 70 attorneys based in its Washington, D.C. office. The firm's Privacy & Cybersecurity Team includes more than 40 attorneys worldwide and the Business Trials practice group includes 250 attorneys.

About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

Sheppard Mullin is a full service Global 100 firm with 763 attorneys in 15 offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia. Since 1927, companies have turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the U.S., the firm's clients include more than half of the Fortune 100. For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.