Phillips Lytle is One of Five Awardees for the Cybersecurity Legal Services Contract Led by NYS Office of General Services

Approved New York State entities can utilize Phillips Lytle’s cybersecurity legal services.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Phillips Lytle is one of five firms awarded a portion of a five-year, $50 million contract to provide cybersecurity legal services to thousands of New York State entities, including municipalities, hospitals, universities and other Authorized Users (as defined in the New York State Finance Law). The contract extends through January 2030.

“This contract award is the latest testament to the depth and breadth of our team’s experience and expertise,” said Anna Mercado Clark, Partner, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and leader of Phillips Lytle’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Team. “Our team prides itself on being at the cutting age of technology, anticipating our clients’ needs, and focusing on practical solutions by balancing legal requirements with organizational needs and goals. We are honored to have been chosen as an approved legal services contractor for cybersecurity after a rigorous and competitive selection process and are excited for the opportunity to develop longstanding partnerships with the numerous municipalities, school districts, state universities, public authorities and other agencies that can avail of our services statewide.”

The scope of services defined under the contract include:

• Assisting Authorized Users with the review of cybersecurity incident response plans; cyber risk management and intellectual property; asset, privacy and data protection policies; preparedness activities related to cybersecurity, cyber resiliency, cyber preparedness, and privacy; and related matters.
• Counseling and advising Authorized Users during incident response, including for example, by assisting with privileged incident response investigations; helping to coordinate resources and efforts, including breach notification; engaging with governmental entities such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, federal, state, and local law enforcement; analyzing incident investigatory findings; providing advice on breach, notification, and privacy implications; and making recommendations for remediation following an incident.
• Providing legal advice to Authorized Users pertaining to state, federal, and international laws and regulations as well as policies and best practices related to cybersecurity, cyber resiliency, cyber preparedness, privacy, and related matters.
• Advising Authorized Users on contracts and disputes with third-party vendors related to cybersecurity, cyber resiliency, cyber preparedness, privacy, and related matters.

Phillips Lytle’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Team advises many sophisticated clients in various industries, including health care, education, finance, law, technology, startups, banking, manufacturing, construction, e-commerce, energy and government contracting. Understanding the importance of the immediate and appropriate response to a broad range of circumstances, Phillips Lytle’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Team is accessible 24 hours a day to handle the most time-sensitive situations. They can be contacted via email or by phone at 1-886-812-5116.

Phillips Lytle attorneys have been awarded the following ANAB-accredited credentials by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP): Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E); Certified Information Privacy Professional for the U.S. Private Sector (CIPP/US); and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM). CIPP/E and CIPP/US are preeminent certifications for advanced concentration in European data protection laws and U.S. private-sector laws, standards and practices, respectively. CIPM certification demonstrates an understanding of privacy program governance and the skills necessary to establish, maintain and manage a privacy program across all stages of its operational life cycle.

Phillips Lytle LLP is a preeminent law firm that is recognized nationally for its legal excellence. With offices across New York State and in Chicago, IL; Washington, D.C.; and Canada, our attorneys serve a multinational client base, including Fortune 1000 companies, global and regional financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations, middle-market companies, startups, entrepreneurs and individuals on important matters affecting their businesses and personal wealth. For more information, visit stg-phillipslytlellp-stage.kinsta.cloud.

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