Gretchen A. Ramos is Co-Chair of the Data, Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice and focuses her practice on privacy, cybersecurity, and information management. A creative problem-solver with a long track record of success in commercial disputes, she never loses sight of the simple fact that she works in a service industry. Clients appreciate not only her legal skills, but also her direct, no-nonsense approach to client service, including her bullet-pointed emails, snapshot executive summaries, and creativity in finding ways to streamline communications for in-house counsel with dozens of other projects—and little time—on their hands.
Gretchen’s clients come from diverse industries, including technology (SaaS), health care and life sciences, consumer products, manufacturing, academic institutions, and non-profits. She provides clients with practical business advice on compliance with state and federal U.S. laws, GDPR, APEC, and other global privacy laws in relation to their external and internal privacy and security procedures, product and app development, and advertising practices. Gretchen also regularly drafts and negotiates contracts concerning data-related vendors, assists clients in assessing privacy risks in corporate transactions, and provides guidance on and conducts privacy and security assessments. She has managed dozens of data breaches, and helps clients prepare for and immediately respond to security incidents and breaches.
Gretchen works closely with her clients to manage data and leverage its value in ways to meet compliance obligations as well as deliver value to the business and instill consumer trust. Her experience working with various industries allows her to quickly assess options and risks, and guide clients, including numerous genomic data companies, in resolving complicated privacy issues.
Gretchen has litigated, mediated, and arbitrated commercial disputes, including class actions, at state and federal courts nationwide, and has tried numerous cases to verdict. Her wide-ranging litigation background allows her to advise clients on the litigation risks they face in determining how to handle data privacy issues. In addition to providing compliance advice, Gretchen defends companies facing FTC and other regulatory investigations, and individual and class action claims involving privacy, information security, and consumer protection.
Concentrations
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EU GDPR compliance
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Cross-border transfer mechanisms (Standard Contractual Clauses, Privacy Shield, Binding Corporate Rules), and data processing agreements
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FTC CIDs, State Attorney General investigations
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Behavioral advertising, automated processing and profiling
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Security breach response and notification
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DPIAs and addressing complicated privacy issues relating to product development
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COPPA, HIPAA, TCPA PCI-DSS, CAN-SPAM
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Privacy and security gap assessments
