US Homeland Security privacy chief joins IP law firm Finnegan

  • Lynn Parker Dupree served as DHS chief privacy officer until Jan. 31
  • Joining Finnegan this week, she will lead a new privacy practice

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner have hired Lynn Parker Dupree from the US Department of Homeland Security to lead a new privacy practice group, the intellectual property-focused law firm said Wednesday.

Parker Dupree most recently served as the chief privacy officer and chief FOIA officer for DHS before leaving her post at the end of January. She joined the agency in March 2021 after working at Capital One Corp as director of governance and controls.

Finnegan, a Washington, DC-founded global firm that specializes in IP law and has about 300 lawyers, has worked on some privacy matters in the past but “it wasn’t really a focus of the firm” until now, said its chair Anand Sharma.

Law firms have increasingly hired privacy and data security lawyers in recent years as clients seek advice on navigating cyberattacks and complying with new laws and regulations in the US and internationally. While US congressional attempts to pass new privacy legislation have stalled, states including California, Virginia and Colorado have enacted their own laws.

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Parker Dupree said the new group will initially focus on privacy compliance and governance.

She said she was drawn to the opportunity to work with colleagues with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at Finnegan.

Parker Dupree previously worked at the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an independent executive branch agency, and held other federal government roles.

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Sara Merken

Thomson Reuters

Sara Merken reports on privacy and data security, as well as the business of law, including legal innovation and key players in the legal services industry. Reach her at [email protected]