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ing career with a law degree. Law school is about learning how to think analytically; how to pay attention to detail. One benefit of law school is that you have three years to learn how to think like a lawyer.” As she approaches retirement, she looks back at a practice that required knowledge and fluency in medical, epidemiological and other scientific disciplines, and afforded her the opportunity to meet and work with respected and world-renowned experts throughout the country. “I have had a rich, fulfilling and incredible professional life. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I’d be sitting across the table from innovators like one scientist who was instrumental in developing IVF,” referring to in vitro fertilization, which has changed so many lives. “I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given.” The cooking aficionado who says she would rather read a cookbook than a novel, is grateful, too, for the relationships she has built over the years. “It all boils down to true relationships, letting clients and colleagues know you have their back, that they can depend on you,” she says. Deming considers her single most important professional honor to be her induction in 2007 into the American College of Trial Lawyers. “This was the pinnacle for me,” she says. “You can’t just join the college. You must be thoroughly vetted, not only by your peers, but by your adversaries, and judges as well. And it was the greatest honor for me to be recognized as a peer by attorneys whom I had respected and admired throughout my career. The relationships I have formed with some of the most skilled and respected trial lawyers throughout the country have added a whole new dimension to my enjoyment of the law.” Launched in 1950, the college limits membership to no more than 1 percent of the total lawyer population in any state or Canadian province. There are currently about 5,700 fellows, throughout the United States and Canada, including all the U.S. Supreme Court justices and the Supreme Court of Canada. She has also been recognized for many years both on the local and national level as one of the Best Lawyers for product liability litigation, personal injury litigation and mass torts. Deming considers herself to be a “demanding task master” – demanding not only of herself, but the people who work with her. She looks at her valued colleagues Eric Rumanek and David Norden and notes that “they love this practice as much as I do, and they work as hard as I ever thought about doing.” Both Norden, who joined Troutman Sanders earlier this year, and Rumanek work on national litigation for large pharmaceutical and other manufacturers and are helping expand the practice Deming so enjoys. Norden and Rumanek, she says, “are terrific lawyers; are honest and professional to a fault, and hopefully they’ll expand this practice with any help I can give. In the future, I will continue to represent pharmaceutical companies and I want to make sure that this practice I helped establish at Troutman endures.” “In the final analysis,” Deming says, “I’ve had a great life and great career and it’s not ending anytime soon, I hope. But I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and for the relationships I’ve had a chance to develop.” Still, Deming realizes that “you are only as good as your last good deed.” That’s why she launched a college scholarship for youth in Valdosta in honor of her mother that requires the high school seniors to whom a scholarship is awarded, to “do five random, anonymous acts of kindness during the year of their scholarship with no expectation of return or recognition.” At the end of the year, they must write about what they gained from the experience. “I want these young people to learn that it’s important not to always seek credit for what they do. The reward is in the act, and it just makes you feel good to do something for others just because it is a nice thing to do, not because of what it might get you. It’s the whole pay-it-forward notion,” she says “I have been given incredible opportunities, and I’m just trying to pay it forward.” AT A GLANCE Education Juris Doctor, University of Georgia, 1978 Bachelor of Science, Valdosta State College, 1975 Practice Areas Pharmaceutical Litigation Products Liability Professional Memberships American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow Lumpkin Inn of Court, The University of Georgia School of Law, Master Awards Product Liability Atlanta Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America, 2014 Mass Tort Atlanta Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America, 2013 Inclusion in Best Lawyers in America, Mass Tort, 2008-2014 Inclusion in Best Lawyers in America, Product Liability, 2007-2014 Inclusion in Best Lawyers in America, Personal Injury, 1999-2014 Partner Eric Rumanek Education Juris Doctor, University of Alabama, 2007 Bachelor of Science, University of Alabama, 2004 Professional Memberships Trial Attorneys of America Defense Research Institute, Drug and Medical Device Committee Complex Medicine/Experts Specialized Litigation Group, Vice-Chair Defense Research Institute, Legislative Liaison Subcommittee, Georgia Liaison Of Counsel David F. Norden Education Juris Doctor, Case Western Reserve University, 2003 Bachelor of Arts, Indiana University, 1994 Community Involvement Autism Society of America, Georgia Chapter, Board of Directors CURE Childhood Cancer, Advisory Board, Board Member Troutman Sanders 600 Peachtree Street, NE Suite 5200 Atlanta, GA 30308 (404) 885-3000 www.troutmansanders.com 24 | www.AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com
Data Security Best Practices For Business Leaders By Mark St. Peter While most know a significant amount of data is stored electronically, few realize the true size of this digital archive. Remarkably, over 97 percent of all information created, stored and transmitted today is done so electronically – and the amount is continuing to increase exponentially with every passing day. Today’s digital landscape is not just vast, it is also vulnerable. According to a 2015 EMC study about the year 2013, while two thirds of the digital universe was created or captured by consumers and workers – such as workers capturing customer payment information – enterprises have liability or responsibility for 85 percent of that data if security is breached or compromised. According to experts like FBI Director James Comey, the risk for businesses to fall prey to cyber hacking is growing every day. Comey famously observed, “There are two kinds of big companies in the United States: there are those who’ve been hacked … and those who don’t know they’ve been hacked.” Thus it is crucial that business owners learn how to protect themselves, their data and, ultimately, their businesses against data breaches. Business leaders should know how to evaluate their potential vulnerabilities, and in that vein, address specific weaknesses. This requires a working knowledge of basic cybersecurity best practices from how to create a strong password to creating a culture of IT security within their businesses, as well as educating employees on how to properly protect key information and safe computing practices. Evaluate & Assess – The Basic Five W’s The first step to bolster your digital security is to gain a full understanding of all of the different types of data you are collecting, accessing, sending and storing – WHAT are your storing? Next, look closely at WHERE you are storing this information. Is it stored on an in-house server or a remote server? Do your machines access data through the cloud or on internal hard drives? WHO has access and to how much data? Review how long you are holding onto this data. The general rule is not to keep data longer than you need it, particularly personal information like Social Security and payment details. WHEN to return, delete or shred sensitive data depends on what works best for your business. WHY, although seemingly obvious, and how are much of what follows below. Master Security Basics Fortunately, the first and most basic steps to protecting your data are also among the easiest. Once you have evaluated the kinds of data you are storing and for which you are responsible, the next step is to change the passwords that serve as the gateways to this data to something unique. Avoid letting passwords grow stale. It sounds remarkably simple, but it makes such a difference. Avoid pet names or other easy-to-decipher words, and incorporate numbers or symbols into your password where possible. Utilizing even just a couple of numbers or symbols in your password combination makes it exponentially more difficult for potential hackers to decode – computers in particular find this password structure very complicated. For convenience and easier memorization, consider substituting similar characters for letters in words or phrases you are most likely to remember. A phrase that is meaningful to you, with non-alpha characters mixed in adds both complexity and length, both of which make password hacking algorithms far less successful. Practice Safe Computing Incorporate safe digital practices into your daily work routine. For example, do not write your password on a Postit note and stick it somewhere around your computer! You would be surprised how many people do this. Additionally, be wary of unfamiliar or strange looking emails – sending emails with misleading, false or trick links is one of the most frequent ways for hackers to gain access to your system, or to implant a virus in your system. Most of us can easily spot and delete a spam email, but some can be quite sneaky with their approach, including sending an email from what looks to be your co-worker or friend that has a suspect link in it. Similarly, be careful what websites you’re accessing and watch where you click. And never, ever, perform financial transactions via email. Banks are among some of the most sophisticated at protecting access and rarely, if ever, transact monetary transactions through email. If you must transmit a credit card number via email, break the number and/or expiration date and other details into separately transmitted emails. Educate & Engage To optimize cybersecurity going forward, business leaders should educate employees about security risks, and work to create a culture of IT security awareness. Formulate a comprehensive IT security plan, incorporate it into your employee handbook and ensure you are continually communicating with your employees about emerging IT security risks. Finally, consider working with an IT professional that can help you perform a full security analysis, and put systems in place that will not only enhance your security, but help your systems run more efficiently. With today’s environment of heightened risk and greater liability, business owners and decision-makers should take the time to think seriously about their IT security. Digital security is not a luxury; it is a critical necessity, one that can deeply impact the overall success and well-being of your business. Mark St. Peter is the managing director and CEO of Computing Source, a digital evidence and legal support firm. He can be reached at (312) 554-1500 or info@computingsource.com. Volume 4 Issue 6 Attorney at Law Magazine ® Metro Atlanta | 25
Page 1 and 2: BOUTIQUE FIRM OF THE MONTH Garland
Page 3 and 4: Karen Deming of Troutman Sanders Pr
Page 5 and 6: Attorney at Law Magazine is publish
Page 7 and 8: ONE OF THE GREATEST LIES EVER TOLD
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Page 11 and 12: Rachel Elovitz Gillian Fierer O’N
Page 13 and 14: How to Quickly & Cost-Effectively I
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