Andrew B. Serwin

Partner, Morrison Foerster

Andrew Serwin is one of the pre-eminent privacy and security practitioners in the world. Clients describe him as a “rock star lawyer” and “a tireless worker, holding onto the ever-shifting puzzle pieces of the law in this area in a way that other privacy lawyers cannot” (Chambers USA). He was also recently named one of the Daily Journal’s “Top 100 Lawyers in California” for 2016, and a National Law Journal “2015 Cyber Security & Data Privacy Trailblazer,” recognizing the 50 people “who have helped make a difference in the fight against criminal cyber activity.”  Mr. Serwin was named to Security Magazine’s “25 Most Influential Industry Thought Leaders” in 2009.  For his work in data protection and privacy, Mr. Serwin is an inaugural inductee into the 2017 Legal 500 Hall of Fame, comprised of outstanding U.S. lawyers who have been recommended as Legal 500 “Leading Lawyers” for the last six consecutive years.

Mr. Serwin is global Co-chair of Morrison & Foerster’s market-leading Privacy + Data Security group, and he offers clients the practical experience that comes from having counseled on many of the highest-profile privacy and cybersecurity matters of recent years, with the breadth of knowledge that comes from authoring the premier global treatise on privacy and cybersecurity.  He also served as the lead expert witness for Helen Dixon, the Data Protection Commissioner of Ireland, in the Schrems II case.

With extensive business and leadership experience, Mr. Serwin understands his clients’ businesses, industries, and unique challenges. He has founded, advised, and served on the board of directors of many companies, particularly in the transformational technology and media sectors He also holds advanced certifications in governance, including as a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Governance Fellow and Carnegie Mellon University’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) certification in cyber oversight.

Mr. Serwin is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the private sector of the federally-funded National Cyber Forensic Training Alliance (NCFTA), an entity that functions as a forum for private industry, academia, and law enforcement, with a core mission to identify, mitigate, and neutralize cybercrime, and is the Executive Director and CEO of the Lares Institute, a think tank focused on information governance issues, where he conducts cutting-edge research regarding privacy and cybersecurity.  He is also previously served as a member of the advisory team of the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Asymmetric Warfare.  He also has been certified as a Governance Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors, and also received Carnegie Mellon University’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) certification in cyber oversight.

A noted public speaker and author, Mr. Serwin has written the leading treatise on privacy and security, “Information Security and Privacy: A Guide to Federal and State Law and Compliance,” and “Information Security and Privacy: A Guide to International Law and Compliance” (West 2006–2017), collectively a 5,500-page, three-volume treatise, that examines all aspects of privacy and security laws, published by Thomson-West. The treatise has been called “the best privacy sourcebook,” “an indispensable resource for privacy professionals at all levels,” and “a book that everybody in the information privacy field should have on their desk.”


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