Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joins Debevoise

New York, September 2, 2014—Debevoise & Plimpton LLP today announced the return to the firm of James J. Pastore, who has just completed a five-year stint as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Pastore focused on cybersecurity matters. He joins Debevoise as a counsel in the firm’s Privacy and Data Security practice and its Intellectual Property Litigation Group. Debevoise now has 10 former Assistant U.S. Attorneys among its Litigation Department ranks.

Mr. Pastore spent most of his time as a prosecutor with the Complex Frauds Unit and Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section. He successfully litigated eight jury trials to verdict. He was the lead prosecutor in United States v. Monsegur, a/k/a “Sabu,” and Operation Cardshop, both of which were named to the FBI’s top 10 cases of 2012. Mr. Pastore was also the lead prosecutor on Operation Dirty R.A.T., which targeted the creators and users of Blackshades malware and resulted in the largest-ever worldwide law enforcement action against cybercriminals.

Mr. Pastore also obtained a first-of-its-kind order in the prosecution of the Rove Digital organization to prevent catastrophic Internet outage from the so-called “doomsday virus.”

Jeremy Feigelson, who leads Debevoise’s Privacy and Data Security practice, said: “Jim helped to pioneer cybersecurity enforcement as a prosecutor, and that experience, together with his civil litigation expertise, offers our clients a unique asset as they address their critical data privacy and cybersecurity issues. We are delighted to welcome Jim back to the firm.”

Mr. Pastore said: “There is no greater threat to corporate America these days than that posed by cybercriminals, cyberterrorists and other threats to data security. I look forward to working with the firm’s clients to reduce their exposure from these threats.”

Mr. Pastore was previously an associate at Debevoise from 2004 to 2009, focusing on IP litigation. During his earlier tenure at the firm, he worked on a variety of high-profile matters, including the well-publicized Google books copyright litigation.

Mr. Pastore earned his J.D., with distinction, from Stanford Law School in 2004. He served as Co-President of the Stanford Law & Technology Association and was a member of the Stanford Technology Law Review. He received his B.A., summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Notre Dame in 2001, where he was a Notre Dame Scholar, the recipient of the James E. Robison Award for outstanding senior English major, and one of 40 seniors selected for the College of Arts & Letters Honors Program.

Debevoise provides clients with advice on a broad range of privacy, data protection and data security issues. The firm’s cross-border and interdisciplinary lawyers offer regulatory counseling in the United States, Europe and Asia, defend clients in government enforcement actions, litigate privacy-related class actions and other matters and handle financial services transactions where data protection and security matters arise.

Debevoise has a highly successful Intellectual Property Litigation Group, led by Bruce P. Keller and David H. Bernstein, consisting of five partners, four counsel, and over 30 associates. The Group’s knowledge and experience cover all areas of intellectual property litigation including trademark, trade dress, false advertising, anti-counterfeiting, unfair competition, copyright, trade secret, patent, First Amendment, information technology, domain names and right of publicity.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a leading international law firm, representing a wide range of clients in transactions and disputes around the world. Founded in 1931, the firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Hong Kong and Shanghai.