Overview
With a background in both business and law, Joe Dickinson has a unique understanding of the challenges his clients face, and he crafts data privacy and security programs for real-world applications.
Joe has more than 35 years of experience in the areas of data governance, privacy, and cybersecurity. He regularly advises technology and healthcare companies and government entities, helping to identify their data privacy and cybersecurity risks. Joe also defends clients against state and federal governmental agency enforcement investigations and assists with data breach response and data privacy assessments, information security compliance audits, and cyber investigations, including managing third-party forensic investigations. He has also led diligence efforts on all levels of business transactions, identifying and managing data-related issues with 7-figure potential impacts, representing buyers, sellers and investors.
Before re-entering private practice, Joe served in-house as Chief Privacy and Chief Information Security Officer for a large Midwest academic medical system. He also previously oversaw global data sharing legal operations for a Big 4 accounting and consulting firm, giving him deep insight into the complexities of multinational privacy and security requirements.
Joe’s experience spans the full range of privacy and security issues facing organizations both in the private and public sectors. He has worked with clients on the development of data privacy and cybersecurity programs, global data breach response, cross-border data transfers and compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CCPA, as well as related state, federal and international regulatory frameworks. He also assists with technology licensing and transfer agreements, contracts involving data flows, and the management of legal risks associated with intellectual property, information technology, cybersecurity, government investigations and corporate internal investigations and compliance.
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Representative Matters
Advised a private equity fund and its healthcare solutions portfolio company in the acquisition of a consulting and data management company
Has led the privacy and cyber security diligence efforts on multiple multi-million-dollar transactions
Managed a global data breach involving 27 countries and more than 500 data servers
Led the response teams for hundreds of national and international data incidents and breaches
Leads engagements for breach analysis, notification obligations, incident investigations, and regulatory compliance
Coordinates forensic investigations
Leads post-breach privacy and security gap remediation
Oversees the buy-side and sell-side privacy/cybersecurity due diligence efforts for multi-million-dollar transactions
Leads incident response preparations and tabletop exercises
Develops and leads privileged forensic investigations, vulnerability assessments, and compliance reviews
Assesses and operationalizes international data processing and data transfer protocols
Recognition & Honors
Honors & Recognitions
Certified in Health Care Privacy Compliance (CHPC®)
Press & Publications
News
Speaking Engagements
Community & Professional
Associations
North Carolina Technology Association; Board of Advisors
Duke Law Center for Judicial Studies - North Carolina Thought Leadership Committee; Member
International Association of Privacy Professionals; Member
Health Care Compliance Association; Member
University HealthSystem Consortium; Data Privacy and Security Committee
Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection; National Advisory Board
Center for Health Law & Policy; Advisory Council
The Sedona Conference®; Member, Working Group Series Program, Data Security and Privacy Liability - Working Group 11; Member
American Health Lawyers Association
Association of Corporate Counsel, Northeast Ohio Chapter
North Carolina Bar Association, Privacy & Data Security Section
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Healthcare Practice Group
Ohio State Bar Association
American Bar Association
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association American Bar Association
Credentials
Education
Malone University; B.A., 1989
Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law; J.D., cum laude, 1993
Court Admissions
United States District Court, Ohio
United States Supreme Court
