Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce the creation of its Privacy and Cybersecurity Fellowship program. The 18-month paid program, which will begin in May 2021, will provide recent law school graduates who are interested in a career in privacy and cybersecurity law with hands-on, client-facing experience in connection with compliance, privacy and cybersecurity litigation and breach response.
“Cybersecurity remains a top concern that’s keeping company leaders and boards up at night, and there’s a major shortage in experienced privacy professionals both within law firms and in-house at corporations,” said Liisa M. Thomas, co-leader of Sheppard Mullin’s Privacy and Cybersecurity practice. “Sheppard Mullin is thrilled to offer this new program to mentor and nurture the next generation of cybersecurity leaders and help them land positions within law firms or corporations. A win for the fellows and a win the industry.”
Not only is there a dearth of training opportunities in this rapidly expanding space, companies are feeling the direct impact of the lack of experienced talent in the workplace. According to a global study from Enterprise Strategy Group and Information Systems Security Association, “The cybersecurity skills crisis continues to worsen for the fourth year in a row and has impacted nearly three quarters (70 percent) of organizations… The top ramifications of the skills shortage for organizations (or cybersecurity teams) include an increasing workload, unfilled open job requisitions, and an inability to learn or use cybersecurity technologies to their full potential, putting organizations at significant risk.”
Rebecca Hanovice, Associate General Counsel at Callaway Golf Company, added, “The lack of qualified talent puts companies at risk every day. This program benefits the industry and professionals alike, who will have the chance to work with and have an impact on the growth of new talent. Organizations will also have access to a greater hiring pool of experienced junior lawyers following their completion of the program.”
“Demand for experienced privacy professionals has never been greater. This program gives recent graduates a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience and knowledge that will set them apart in this competitive industry,” said Craig Cardon, co-leader of Sheppard Mullin’s Privacy and Cybersecurity practice.
Fellows will work (virtually to start) out of the firm’s Chicago office and gain hands-on experience in an AmLaw 100 firm working with and learning from nationally recognized privacy attorneys, including a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security deputy general counsel, a lawyer who literally “wrote the book” on data breach, and award-winning privacy class action litigation practitioners, on an array of complex privacy and cybersecurity issues for major corporations.
Following the completion of the program in October 2022, fellows will have worked alongside Sheppard Mullin partners and assisted with conducting research, drafting memos and blog posts, preparing presentations, participating in client meetings and engaging in privacy-related client work.
The Fellowship program is for attorneys who graduated from law school (or will have by June 2021), taken the bar exam (or will have by July 2021) and have a proven interest in a career in privacy and cybersecurity. For more information about qualification requirements and the application process, click here. Applications will be accepted through April 15, with the program currently slated to begin in mid-May 2021.