Former Commerce GC Joins Sidley Austin

Washington, D.C. — Sidley Austin LLP announced today that Cameron F. Kerry, former General Counsel and Acting Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce, will join Sidley as senior counsel in its Privacy, Data Security and Information Law practice.  He will also work with his Sidley colleagues in the firm’s International Trade, Communications, Intellectual Property, Litigation, and Government Strategies practices. He will maintain residence in both the firm’s Boston and Washington, D.C. offices.

Mr. Kerry is currently the Ann R. and Andrew H. Tisch Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Governance Studies and the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings Institution, a private nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and innovative policy solutions. He is the first to be named to this prominent fellowship designed to bring distinguished leaders together to address challenges facing the country. In this role, Mr. Kerry participates in speaking and research at Brookings and elsewhere. He is also a visiting scholar with the MIT Media Lab. Mr. Kerry will continue to devote a portion of his time to MIT and the Brookings Institution while practicing at Sidley.  Mr. Kerry also serves on the State Department Advisory Committee on International Communications & Information Policy and the advisory boards of the Massachusetts Innovation Partnership and Future of Privacy Forum.

“Cam’s prestigious government service and legal career spans more than 30 years, and during this time he has been intimately involved in an unusually wide range of complex, developing areas at the intersection of law and technology, notably privacy, cybersecurity and Internet communications,” said Alan Raul, Sidley partner and global practice coordinator of its Privacy, Data Security and Information Law practice. “He very ably represented the United States on international data protection issues and was assigned by the White House to coordinate consumer privacy policy for the Administration. No one in the top circles of privacy policy making is more highly respected than Cam, both at home and around the world. His practical voice and effective advocacy in addressing consumer privacy, cybersecurity, digital trade and the international flow of information have been game-changing. We look forward to welcoming Cam to our team and drawing from his vast experience to enhance our global data protection practice.”

Prior to joining the Brookings Institution, Mr. Kerry served as General Counsel and Acting Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce. As Acting Secretary, he was adviser to the President and chief executive of this Cabinet Agency and its 43,000 member global staff. In his role as General Counsel of Commerce, Mr. Kerry was the primary legal adviser to the Secretary of Commerce and oversaw the work of more than 400 lawyers across multiple agencies.   While serving as co-head of the National Sciences & Technology Council Subcommittee on Privacy and Internet Policy,  he spearheaded the development of the White House blueprint on consumer privacy, “Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World: A Framework for Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital Economy.” He led the implementation of this blueprint, drafting privacy legislation and engaging with the European Union and other international partners on privacy issues. In addition, Mr. Kerry was instrumental in the passage of major patent reform legislation, the America Invents Act of 2011, and helped establish and co-chaired the Commerce Internet Policy Task Force.

“Building on his service in government and his work in private sector, Cam will be well positioned to advise and represent U.S. and multinational companies regarding new EU Data Protection Regulation and global ‘binding corporate rules’ and continue to play a leadership role in addressing many of the biggest challenges facing our clients, including privacy, trade, and technology issues,” said Mark Hopson, managing partner of Sidley’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. “His substantial background and deep familiarity with these legal and policy issues will provide a valuable perspective for our clients as they navigate the uncertain global regulatory environment.”

Early in his career, Mr. Kerry was a partner with a Boston-based national law firm.  He also has served as a law clerk to Senior Circuit Judge Elbert P. Tuttle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and as an adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School. Throughout his life, Mr. Kerry has been deeply involved in national politics. During the 2004 presidential campaign, he was a close adviser and national surrogate for his brother, Democratic nominee John Kerry.  The period during which Mr. Kerry served as Acting Commerce Secretary while his brother served as Secretary of State marked the first time in U.S. history that two brothers served in the Cabinet at the same time.

“I’m very pleased to be joining Sidley, especially at such an exciting time as some of the most significant issues I’ve been focused on throughout my career – like privacy, cybersecurity and digital trade – continue to play out on the global stage,” said Mr. Kerry. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues to guide our clients through the complex matters these issues often raise. I also look forward to helping build Sidley’s Boston office.  With its expansive global platform, award-winning practices and commitment to excellence, Sidley is a natural fit.”

With more than 1,800 lawyers in 18 offices worldwide, Sidley has built a reputation as a premier legal adviser for global businesses and financial institutions. For the fourth consecutive year, and every year since the survey’s inception, Sidley received the most first-tier national rankings of any U.S. law firm in the 2014 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” survey. On Law360’s list of Global 20 Firms, Sidley was ranked among the top law firms “with the greatest global reach and expertise.” To stay up-to-date with the latest Sidley news, please follow us on Twitter at @SidleyNewsroom or download theSidley Mobile App.