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Overview
Chris Ott is a seasoned litigator, investigator, and Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) who helps clients resolve disputes around complex technologies, with a particular focus on issues involving cybersecurity, privacy, blockchain, data governance and artificial intelligence. Chris plays a key role in the firm’s Data Governance litigation and investigations team.
A decorated former federal prosecutor, Chris has won more than 30 jury trials involving complicated innovation-related disputes and has been lead lawyer on hundreds more disputes, allowing him to bring a pragmatic, action-oriented perspective to every case.
Although adept at litigation throughout the country, Chris’ central goal is to work with clients devise innovative and effective litigation strategies without losing sight of business realities. Chris regularly handles matters ranging from: data breach response for various industries; white collar defense of clients related to cryptocurrency matters; privacy and data security incidents involving ad technology; and internal investigations related to data leakage Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and privacy events. Currently, Chris is handling bet-the-company multi-district business litigation for a U.S.-licensed bank deeply involved with stablecoin technologies, multiple regulatory responses related to cryptocurrency technologies, intellectual property litigation for developers of Proof-of-Stake technologies, and multiple white collar defenses in cases involving complex financial technologies.
Before entering private practice, Chris spent more than 10 years at the Department of Justice in various supervisory roles, including as an Eastern District of New York (EDNY) Senior Trial Counsel focusing upon securities fraud and cybercrime, as a Supervisory Counterintelligence and Cyber Counsel in the National Security Division, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of California (SDCa).
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"Employee and Customer Health Data: Back to Work in the Age of COVID-19," Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) "Back to Work" Virtual Roundtable Series
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"Alice Ain't Home: Detecting and Countering Foreign Hackers on Social Media," RSA Conference 2020, San Francisco, CA
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"Checking out of Hotel California: The California Consumer Privacy Act, and Looming Federal Legislation," Consumer Bankers Association Live 2019, Washington, D.C.
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“Identifying, Preventing and Combatting Cryptocurrency Crimes,” Microsoft Digital Crimes Consortium, Lisbon, Portugal
Education
- Emory University School of Law, J.D., with honors
- Dartmouth College, B.A.
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- California
Languages
- Catalan
- French
- German
- Italian
- Spanish
Recognition
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RSA Cybersecurity Expert (2019 Onward)
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Recipient of the Department of Justice’s Assistance Attorney General Award for Excellence (2018)
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Named a National Victim Rights Champion by the United States Department of Justice (2015)
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Recipient of the Award for Meritorious Service from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (2011)
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Recipient of the Award for Meritorious Service from the Internal Revenue Service (2011)
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Recipient of the Award for Meritorious Service from the Defense Contracting Investigative Service (2011)
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Recipient of the Award for Meritorious Service from the Defense Contracting Auditing Agency (2011)
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Recipient of a Special Commendation from the Money Laundering Unit of the London Metropolitan Police
Affiliations
- Member, International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) (2014-present)
- Member, Mortgage Fraud Coordinator, Eastern District of New York (2013-2016)
- Member, Cyber Crime Working Group, Eastern District of New York (2014-2018)