Client Data at Risk: Digital Privacy Obligations for Attorneys

Dr. Karol Pierre, Founder and Lead Privacy Researcher | Guardility

Dr. Karol Pierre is the founder and lead privacy researcher at Guardility, a cybersecurity education platform focused on practical digital privacy tools for everyday users and professionals. Dr. Pierre has about 8 years of experience in cybersecurity and privacy. She holds a doctorate in Cybersecurity Analytics and currently serves as a Senior Cloud Security Consultant at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and as a Professor in the School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology at the University of Maryland Global Campus. Her industry and research background includes work with Intel Corporation, Johns Hopkins University (JHU)/JHU Applied Physics Laboratory, and George Washington University. Her work is at the intersection of cloud security, privacy law, and security education.

• Education & Credentials

B.S in Computer Engineering, Villanova University, ’19; M.S in Cybersecurity, Johns Hopkins University, ’20; D. Eng in Cybersecurity Analytics, George Washington University, ’24; CompTIA Security+; AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner; AWS Certified AI Practitioner; AWS Certified Developer Associate; AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional.

• Recognition & Leadership

2024 Techsgiving Speaker; 2020 ACM Richard Tapia Conference Speaker & Session Organizer; 2020 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Region 5 Conference Speaker.

• Professional Involvement

Dr. Pierre is a Fellow of the National GEM Consortium, which awarded her a GEM Fellowship sponsored by Intel Corporation during her graduate studies in cybersecurity. Her involvement in the professional community includes organizing and speaking at national computing and engineering conferences, including the ACM Richard Tapia Conference and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Region 5 Conference, and building practical privacy education for professionals through Guardility.

• Experience

Dr. Pierre serves as a Senior Cloud Security Consultant at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and as a Professor in the School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology at the University of Maryland Global Campus. She founded Guardility, a cybersecurity education platform, where she leads privacy research. Her earlier industry and research roles include work with Intel Corporation, Johns Hopkins University and the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory, and George Washington University.

SESSION 1 – Cybersecurity Obligations Under Rule 1.6(c) and Data Breach Response | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

This session addresses the cybersecurity obligations attorneys carry under Rule 1.6(c), then works through data breach response and the notification requirements that follow an incident.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 2 – AI Ethics, ABA Opinion 512, and a 30-Day Security Implementation Plan | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

This session examines AI ethics for attorneys under ABA Opinion 512 and closes with a 30-day security implementation plan built for solo and small firm attorneys.