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Christopher Wolf
Partner, Washington, D.C.
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christopher.wolf@hoganlovells.com

Christopher Wolf is a director of Hogan Lovells' Privacy and Information Management practice group. Chris is widely recognized as one of the leading American practitioners in the field of privacy and data security law. He is known to clients as a practical problem solver on issues arising from the collection, use, retention, sharing, and security of personal data; as a thoughtful compliance counselor focused on risk management; and as an effective advocate in federal court, at the Federal Trade Commission or before state agencies, on the entire range of international and domestic privacy issues.

Chris is known to the privacy community as a thought leader and compelling communicator. The prestigious Practising Law Institute (PLI) tapped Chris to serve as editor and lead author of its first-ever treatise on the subject, and to serve as co-editor of its guide to the FACTA Red Flags identity theft regulations. Chris recently was heralded for his "lifelong experience as a litigator" by Chambers USA by ranking him as one of the nation's top privacy lawyers. He also was asked to form and co-chair The Future of Privacy Forum, a think tank that focuses on modern privacy issues with a business practical-consumer friendly perspective, collaborating with industry, government, academia, and privacy advocates. When MSNBC labeled Chris "a pioneer in Internet law," it was reflecting on his participation in many of the precedent-setting matters that form the framework of modern privacy law.

Chris has deep experience in the entire range of international, federal, and state privacy and data security laws, including financial and health information privacy laws, as well as the many sectoral and geographic regulations, such as the EU Directive and the new state data security laws including those in Massachusetts and Nevada. Chris also counsels clients on compliance with self-regulatory regimes.

Among the services Chris provides to clients is a legal review to assess an entity's compliance (or the compliance of business partners or acquisition targets in transactions) with the patchwork quilt of privacy and data security laws. As part of the compliance review, Chris assists in the drafting or revision of policies and third-party contracts to foster greater legal compliance. He also advises on the permissible scope of marketing using personal information in light of existing and emerging legal restrictions.

In addition, drawing on nearly 30 years as a litigator, Chris represents clients in all kinds of privacy and data security litigation that results from the disclosure or exposure of private information, including through data security breaches.

Chris has appeared as a speaker for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (for whom he organized a day-long data security breach workshop and recently spoke on behavioral advertising), and for the Canadian Association of Chief Privacy Officers. He appears annually at the PLI Institute on Privacy and Security Law. He also has spoken at colleges and universities including Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, George Washington University, Georgetown University, and the Washington & Lee University School of Law. He is a frequent television guest on privacy and related issues, appearing on PBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, and others. In 2011, Chris was the only private law firm attorney with a speaking role at the eG8 Forum in Paris, an event hosted by French President Sarkozy prior to the G8 Summit.

Chris chaired the Washington board of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and is a national ADL leader, serving in various capacities nationally. Chris also served as chair and is a board member of the International Network Against Cyber-Hate (INACH), where he helps fight online hate speech. Chris has represented the ADL and INACH at conferences in London, Paris, Warsaw, Stockholm, Berlin, Jerusalem, and Herzliya. In 2010, Chris was presented with the Outstanding Alumnus Award by his law school, and received this tribute: "There are few lawyers in the nation—indeed, few lawyers in the world—who have done more to champion the norms of human decency and respect for the rule of law in the Internet environment, than Chris Wolf," said Washington & Lee University School of Law Dean Rodney A. Smolla at the awards ceremony. "It is difficult to imagine a graduate of our law school who more exemplifies the ideals that this school cherishes, ideals of respect for the rule of law, human decency, and public service."

The pro bono matters handled by Chris include McVeigh v. Cohen, 983 F.Supp. 215 (D.D.C. 1998), in which a federal court enjoined the United States Navy from discharging a Naval Chief Petty Officer for violating the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays and lesbians in the military because the Navy obtained information from AOL in violation of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Chris also successfully represented Army First Lieutenant (and Arizona State Delegate) Steve May in resisting his proposed discharge under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a matter involving the Speech and Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Chris has served as outside general counsel for the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, and he has helped organize volunteer pro bono legal services from D.C. Bar members for the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Prior to joining the firm, Chris was a partner in a large, international law firm. Chris is a fourth-generation Washingtonian who started his career in Washington, D.C. as law clerk to The Honorable Aubrey E. Robinson, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. While in law school, he was a member of the Washington & Lee Law Review.

Hogan Lovells Publications
25 October 2011 "SEC issues guidance on disclosure of cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents." SEC Update, Hogan Lovells

18 October 2011 "Proposed FAR rule would require privacy training for government contractors." Government Contracts and Privacy and Information Management Alert, Hogan Lovells

25 July 2011 "Global Media and Communications Quarterly, Issue 3: Focus on Cloud Computing." GMC Quarterly, Hogan Lovells

25 January 2011 "Red Flag Program Clarification Act exempts certain creditors from Red Flag Rules." Privacy Alert, Hogan Lovells

21 December 2010 "FTC privacy report and Department of Commerce green paper raises important questions on commercial use of information about people." Privacy and Information Management Alert, Hogan Lovells

October 2010 "Global Media and Communications Quarterly, Issue 1: Focus on Graduated Response." GMC Quarterly, Hogan Lovells

22 June 2010 "OMG: What is an Employer to Do? Companies Still Well-Advised to Restrict Expectations of Privacy in the Workplace after the Supreme Court's Limited Decision in Text Messaging Case, City of Ontario v. Quon." Litigation Alert, Hogan Lovells

Published Works
25 August 2011 "Wolf Says Right To Erase Privacy Information Would Be Unwieldy." Bloomberg Law

19 January 2011 "Can Speech Be Policed in a Borderless World?", The Next Digital Decade: Essays on the Future of the Internet

13 December 2010 "Targeted Enforcement and Shared Lawmaking Authority As Catalysts for Data Protection in the United States.", BNA Electronic Commerce & Law Report

PRACTICES
Privacy and Information Management
Technology, Media and Telecoms
Education
Litigation, Arbitration and Employment
Data Protection and Information Management
Government Regulatory
Media Litigation and Counseling
Electronic Discovery and Information Risk Management
Administrative and Public Law
Internet and E-Commerce
Pro Bono
INDUSTRY SECTORS
Education
Aerospace, Defense, and Government Services
Automotive
Consumer
Luxury Goods
Energy and Natural Resources
Financial Institutions
Hotels, Leisure and Gaming
Sports and Recreational Facilities
Media and Entertainment
Technology, Media and Telecoms
Aviation
Transportation
AREAS OF FOCUS
  • Privacy & Data Security Law Risk Management Review
  • Workplace Privacy
  • Data Security Breach Notification Laws
  • Commercial Speech and Privacy
  • International Privacy Compliance
  • Privacy Litigation
  • E-Commerce and Internet Regulation 
BLOGS
Chronicle of Data Protection
EDUCATION
J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, Washington and Lee University School of Law, 1980 A.B., cum laude, Bowdoin College, 1976 Attended, The London School of Economics and Political Science, 1975
MEMBERSHIPS
  • Member, International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
  • Member, Advisory Board, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, American Society of International Law
  • Member, Association of the Bar of the City of New York
  • Member, Board of Advisors, Fordham Law School Center on Law and Information Policy
  • Member and Past Chair, Washington, D.C. Regional Governing Board of the Anti-Defamation League
  • Member, National Executive Committee of the Anti-Defamation League
  • Member and Past Chair, International Network Against Cyber-Hate (INACH)
  • Member, Advisory Panel of Experts, The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Working Party on Information Security and Privacy
  • Member and Past President, Food & Friends Board of Directors
  • Member, Cosmos Club 
  • Member, The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. 
  • Board Member, WETA TV and Radio
  • Board Member, Young Concert Artists
AWARDS / RANKINGS
  • Chambers Global, USA - Privacy and Data Security, 2011-2012
  • Chambers USA, Privacy and Data Security, 2008-2011
  • Legal 500 US, Technology: Data Protection and Privacy, 2010-2011 
  • Computerworld, Best Privacy Advisors, 2010
BAR ADMISSIONS / QUALIFICATIONS District of Columbia New York
COURT ADMISSIONS U.S. Supreme Court U.S. Court of Federal Claims U.S. Court of International Trade U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit U.S. District Court, District of Columbia U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin U.S. District Court, Northern District of California U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York