Carissa partners with clients to develop pragmatic solutions to complex data privacy requirements.
Carissa’s passion for compliance work grew out of its collaborative nature, and she was immediately drawn to the data privacy arena in law school. She knew she thrived when working alongside clients and colleagues, and this was a practice area that would allow her to collaborate with clients as she built compliance programs from the ground up. Upon earning her J.D., Carissa joined a boutique firm which focused on data privacy matters.
Carissa has extensive experience developing, implementing, and maintaining customized data privacy compliance programs for companies of all sizes, as well as improving and refining existing programs. Her goal is always to ensure that a program meets the client’s specific needs, works within the resources available to the client, and fits the client’s risk tolerance.
As part of her program development work, Carissa drafts a variety of data privacy compliance documentation, including privacy notices, terms and conditions, cookie policies, internal employee privacy policies, data retention schedules, records of processing activities, and related portions of vendor contracts. She is knowledgeable about state-level laws across the U.S., such as CCPA/CPRA (California), CPA (Colorado), CTDPA (Connecticut), SHIELD Act (New York), UCPA (Utah), and CPDA (Virginia), as well as a host of federal privacy regulations, including the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, HIPAA, FERPA, CAN-SPAM, COPPA, and TCPA.
With privacy laws in other nations often exceeding those in the U.S., Carissa has consistently focused a significant portion of her practice on international regulations. She routinely works with U.S.-based companies that need advice on transferring data to overseas offices or on partnering with foreign vendors. Her knowledge of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is especially extensive, and she is also experienced with countries drawing on GDPR rules as they draft their own laws. In addition to European Union member states, Carissa has advised clients on privacy legislation in South Africa, Brazil, Australia, and Canada. A significant portion of her practice involves negotiating data processing agreements to ensure compliance with laws around the world while bolstering protections for firm clients.
Known for her approachability and collaborative nature, Carissa is dedicated to providing solutions that truly are solutions for clients. She realizes that many clients are new to the data privacy space and are grappling with the implications of recent legislation. Carissa serves clients as a true partner, aiming to understand their resources, priorities, and potential limitations—and then offers pragmatic answers that meet clients where they are.