The international law firm Alston & Bird LLP, with headquarters in the US, and more than 800 lawyers in 12 different offices around the world, launched a new, innovative programme within the practice area of cybersecurity.

The firm is known to be a leader in the area of cybersecurity and data privacy, and is recognized leader in women and diversity issues, as they were named multiple times to Fortune´s “100 Best Workplaces for Women” and “100 Best Workplaces for Diversity.”

The aim of the Women in Cyber™ network Alston & Bird presented on the 22nd of April, 2020, is to bring together female private practice and in-house lawyers with female cybersecurity practitioners and information technology professionals, in order to address the need for cross-functional engagement in dealing with enterprise cybersecurity risk. Co-directors of the Women in Cyber Network are partners Kim Peretti (co-leader of the firm´s Cybersecurity Preparedness & Response Team) and Amy Mushahwar (member of the firm´s Privacy & Data Security, as well as the Cybersecurity Preparedness & Response Teams). 

According to Kim Peretti, today´s cybersecurity challenges require creative and interdisciplinary solutions – this is especially true during the current COVID-19 pandemic that poses unprecedented issues and risks. There is an increasing number of women within the cybersecurity professionals, so the idea of the network was to connect them with their peers and thus enhance the interaction and exchange of ideas, knowledge and expertise for the mutual benefit of all in order to solve complex cybersecurity legal and technical issues. Amy Mushahwar explains that they intend to provide “a forum for connecting, supporting, collaborating and inspiring women in cybersecurity”, and that the Women in Cyber programme aims to increase women´s participation in the cyber field to meet the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals in the US. 

The discussion of cutting-edge issues at the intersection of law, technology and information security will be central in the Women in Cyber network, and there will be a number of service-oriented events and projects. 

For more information about the Women in Cyber programme, please go to: https://www.alston.com/en/resources/women-in-cyber/overview