Joseph (Joe) Swanson is a former federal prosecutor who advises clients on a variety of issues related to cybersecurity and privacy. He brings significant experience investigating, responding to, and handling class actions and other litigation and regulatory inquiries related to data breaches, ransomware attacks, phishing attacks, business email compromises, wire diversion schemes, and similar cyber incidents. Joe also provides guidance on state and federal privacy laws and regulations to help clients safeguard sensitive information and maintain legal compliance.
Joe frequently represents clients in government and criminal investigations and conducts internal investigations. His experience in this area encompasses a range of issues, such as cybercrime, health care, False Claims Act investigations and litigation, theft of trade secrets, national security, government contracting, theft of government property, securities, public company accounting, and compliance with professional standards of conduct. Additionally, Joe defends companies, executives, and directors in shareholder and high-stakes commercial litigation and class actions. These matters have included securities claims, trade secret disputes, claims for breach of fiduciary duty, and claims for fraud and unfair trade practices.
Prior to joining Foley, Joe was a shareholder at a major Tampa-based law firm. Before that, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. In that role, Joe investigated and prosecuted offenses involving cybercrimes, obstruction of justice, tax fraud, and money laundering. Joe tried multiple cases to verdict and handled hundreds of hearings and other proceedings on behalf of the government. He also advised other prosecutors on investigative techniques involving internet and email providers, computers, websites, and other electronic evidence as the computer hacking and intellectual property coordinator in Tampa. After law school, Joe clerked for the Hon. Judge J. Frederick Motz of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. He worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs & Co. before law school.
