National law firm Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce that Benjamin Perry and Lauren Watson joined the firm as partners as members of the Data Privacy & Cybersecurity practice, which Perry will co-lead. Joining them is associate Evan Yahng.
Perry, who is based in Nashville, has built a national reputation advising companies across industries on high-stakes data privacy, cybersecurity, and emerging AI regulatory issues. He counsels clients through the full lifecycle of privacy and AI governance—from designing compliant data and AI-driven products to developing privacy notices, structuring vendor and data processing agreements, advising on employee monitoring policies, assisting with third party risk management (TPRM) processes and third-party vendor due diligence, and building defensible incident response programs, including tabletop exercises that prepare clients before an incident occurs.
Based in Raleigh, N.C., as a member of the firm’s virtual office, The Link, Watson counsels clients through complex compliance challenges involving privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, including electronic monitoring, biometric privacy, and the adoption of AI tools, automated decision-making technologies, and other emerging technologies across the U.S. She assists organizations with both internal and external privacy compliance tasks, including the preparation of privacy policies and notices, operationalization of data subject rights, development of data governance strategies relevant to the collection, use, sharing, and commercialization of personal information, and negotiation of data protection agreements.
“The addition of Ben, Lauren and Evan represents a significant step forward for the expansion of our nationwide data privacy and cybersecurity practice,” said Jeff Sigmund, partner and leader of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing, and Transportation industry group. “Their practices are closely aligned with where our clients need us most: navigating a rapidly shifting regulatory landscape and addressing imminent litigation risk.”
“We are excited to join Husch Blackwell and to help grow the firm’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity capabilities at a moment when these issues have never been more consequential,” Perry said. “The pace of regulatory change—across state privacy laws and cybersecurity enforcement—demands a practice that is both technically fluent and deeply client-focused. We look forward to working alongside co-leader Erik Dullea and the broader team to deliver that for our clients.”
Perry and Watson advise clients on an extensive range of U.S. and international privacy and AI frameworks, including the CCPA/CPRA and its automated decision-making technology (ADMT) regulations, the EU and UK GDPR, the EU AI Act, HIPAA, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Cybersecurity Regulation, the Washington My Health My Data Act, the Colorado AI Act, the Illinois Human Rights Act, NYC Local Law 144, the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act, the Connecticut Artificial Intelligence Responsibility and Transparency Act, and more among the evolving patchwork of U.S. state privacy laws. They work with clients of all sizes, helping established enterprises polish and refine existing privacy and AI governance programs while guiding startups and growing companies through building those programs from the ground up. They also work directly with clients’ marketing and technical teams to evaluate digital marketing and advertising practices—including website pixels, tags, analytics tools, and email marketing programs—helping clients balance compliance with an expanding patchwork of privacy laws against wiretapping-based litigation risk and the marketing team’s advertising and analytics objectives.
Perry and Watson have extensive experience guiding organizations through complex data breach events, including ransomware incidents, insider threat breaches, and multi-jurisdiction notification matters. They coordinate forensic investigations, regulatory notification strategy, and communications under tight timelines while positioning clients for potential litigation and post-incident remediation. Before an incident ever occurs, they also help clients build and stress-test incident response plans through tabletop exercises designed to reduce response time and limit exposure when a real event happens.
On the litigation and arbitration side, Perry defends companies in privacy and technology-related disputes arising under the federal Wiretap Act, the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), Pennsylvania’s Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act (WESCA), the Florida Security of Communications Act (FSCA), the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), and related claims involving website analytics, pixels, session-replay tools, and customer interaction tracking. He also represents clients in individual and class actions involving data breaches, biometric privacy, and alleged unlawful data collection.