Established Boston employment and privacy lawyer and community leader Michele Whitham joins Locke Lord LLP as a Partner in the Boston office and a member of the Firm-wide Labor and Employment and Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Groups. She is a former Co-Managing Partner of Foley Hoag LLP and a well-known employment lawyer who has been recognized nationally for her accomplishments. Among her areas of practice is a particular focus on workplace and corporate data security and privacy.
Whitham represents employers in every aspect of the employment relationship, including designing cutting-edge employment policies and practices, advising with regard to workplace issues as they arise, and resolving employment disputes using an array of dispute resolution modalities. She also advises global businesses in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia/Pacific on strategic human resource issues.
Based on her experience in litigating and advising on data theft, systems breach and cyber-attack cases dating back to 2005, Whitham co-founded and co-chaired Foley Hoag’s Security and Privacy Practice Group. She is a frequent speaker, locally and nationally, on these topics.
Her many accolades include recently being listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law – Management, co-leading the launch of the inaugural Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts’ Women’s Leadership Initiative, and being named one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s Top Women in the Law. She was a Director of the global law consortium Lex Mundi through mid-2015, and served as Counsel to the MITRE Advanced Cyber Security Center and a member of its Steering and Policy Committees from its founding in 2011. She is a 2015-2016 Inductee into the National Association of Professional Women and the Association’s VIP Woman of the Year Circle; a director of the Partnership Inc. (promoting diversity in management ranks); a member of the Administration and Audit Committee and chair of the Compensation Committee of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board (“PRIM”); and a Trustee and member the Executive, Audit and Administration, and Trusteeship Committees of the Wentworth Institute of Technology. She is a long-time member of the Massachusetts Women’s Forum (and its global parent organization, the International Women’s Forum), MWF’s immediate Past President and, for several years before that, its Treasurer. In addition, she is a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women.
“Michele Whitham is the full package – she has excelled in her legal career, is a leader in the community and has been a mentor to many,” said Locke Lord Chair Jerry Clements. “Locke Lord and Edwards Wildman merged just a year ago, and we are excited to have someone of Michele’s caliber join us to continue our involvement with the Boston community and to help us grow our Boston office. She brings so much depth in all areas, and is an accomplished lawyer and leader who will strengthen our already strong Labor and Employment and Privacy and Cybersecurity practices.”
“I am excited about this next phase in my career and being a part of Locke Lord,” said Whitham. “It has been a pleasure to have met many of the lawyers in the Firm’s Labor and Employment and Privacy and Cybersecurity practices, and I look forward to being a part of a broader team nationally and internationally. Of particular importance to me is to the Firm’s long presence in Boston, its deep ties here and its commitment to growth.”
“We are thrilled to have someone with Michele Whitham’s stature and exceptional reputation join us,” said Matt McTygue, Managing Partner of the Firm’s Boston office. “Michele’s experience representing clients in complex employment and privacy matters further strengthens our client service offerings in Boston and across the Firm. Equally exciting is Michele’s commitment to community service. Her many leadership roles in Boston and beyond further enhance Locke Lord’s reputation.”
Source: www.lockelord.com
