Meet Vivek Rao, Co-Chair of the BBA’s Privacy, Cybersecurity & Data Law Section and a partner at Pierce Atwood. Vivek advises businesses on technology transactions, data privacy, cybersecurity, and the evolving legal challenges of the technology economy. This year, he’s looking forward to strengthening connections within the PCDL community and across the BBA, while building mentorship opportunities for younger lawyers entering the field. He’ll also be watching how organizations develop holistic approaches to AI governance, bringing privacy, cybersecurity, IP, workplace policies, and training together rather than addressing these issues in silos.
What are you most looking forward to as a Section Co-Chair this year?
The interactions – both within the Section and within the rest of the BBA. I’m looking forward to trading notes with PCDL colleagues who are wrestling with the same novel legal questions or challenging business/operational/governance questions that I am. I’m also excited to build out mentorship opportunities for younger lawyers entering this space — many of whom bring fresh instincts about technology – and to compare notes on this topic with others in the BBA.
What’s one issue or trend in your practice area you’ll be watching closely?
I’ll be watching how companies (law firms and legal departments among them) build governance around artificial intelligence. Regulatory uncertainty around AI persists, but business prudence is already pushing organizations to develop enterprise-wide governance programs rather than wait for perfect clarity. Many of these efforts start narrowly, focused just on AI tools, but the more mature versions break down internal silos entirely — integrating privacy compliance, cybersecurity preparedness, IP risk mitigation, AI impact assessments, and workplace policies and training into one coordinated framework. I expect this shift from siloed compliance to holistic governance to be one of the defining stories of the year.
What can members look forward to from the PCDL Section this year?
Members can look forward to a full slate of year-round programming anchored by our Fall PCDL conference. We’ll draw on the Section’s deep bench of practitioners — spanning litigation, incident response, regulatory counseling, governance, and transactional work — to ensure our programming reflects the full breadth of what our members grapple with day-to-day. (And we’re always looking for ideas and speakers!)
Why would you encourage someone to get involved with a BBA Section?
The PCDL field evolves rapidly (we’ve been saying this for years, but it’s perhaps more true now than ever before). Keeping pace with the latest developments can sometimes feel overwhelming, but our Section provides a welcoming, local environment to trade perspectives and insights with experts (and budding experts), none of whom take themselves too seriously.
