Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announces that partner Avi Gesser is named co-chair of the firm’s Data Strategy & Security Group. Mr. Gesser will lead the group alongside co-chair Luke Dembosky. Jeremy Feigelson, who has served as the founding chair and co-chair of the group for more than a decade, will remain Of Counsel (retired partner) at the firm and focus on public service including serving on New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Transition Team as a member of the Technology Committee.

“As co-chair, Jeremy helped expand the Data Strategy & Security Group to meet the growing needs of our clients, especially as the use, storage and protection of data of all kinds has become key to the competitiveness and success of virtually every commercial enterprise,” said Presiding Partner Michael Blair. “We are grateful for his many contributions to our clients and the firm.”

“Avi is an industry leader who has made significant contributions to the practice and the firm since joining Debevoise two years ago,” added Mr. Blair. “With extensive experience advising leading clients on their most pressing and complex data issues, including the fast growing area of artificial intelligence, we are fully confident that, with Avi as co-chair, the group will continue to provide excellent client service and industry leadership on cutting edge data issues.”

With deep experience in leading cyber incidents and responses of all sizes and types, the Debevoise Data Strategy & Security Group is comprised of seasoned lawyers and former U.S. law enforcement officials, including most recently Johanna Skrzypczyk, who rejoined the firm last year from the Bureau of Internet and Technology at the New York Attorney General’s Office. Combining cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, business continuity, M&A diligence and data governance practices into one fully integrated, global practice, the group advises leading clients on responding to ransomware and other cybersecurity events, including regulatory inquiries and civil litigation. The Group also regularly assists clients with their overall data strategy, including how to manage, protect, and optimize their data, including through the use of artificial intelligence.

Mr. Gesser’s practice focuses on advising major companies on a wide range of cybersecurity, privacy and artificial intelligence matters. He has represented global financial services firms, private equity firms, insurance companies, hedge funds and media organizations in large-scale ransomware attacks, cyber breaches by nation-states, and regulatory investigations relating to the use of artificial intelligence. Mr. Gesser regularly advises boards and senior executives on governance, risk, and liability issues relating to cybersecurity and AI. Mr. Gesser received his B.S. from the University of Manitoba in 1991, his LL.B. from the University of Manitoba in 1994, LL.M. from the University of Cambridge in 1995, and his LL.M. from New York University in 1998.