Fisher Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm representing employers, announces the addition of Edward Hopkins as a Partner in the firm’s Denver office. Ed joins as part of the firm’s Data Security and Workplace Privacy Practice Group and will collaborate closely with the Employee Defection and Trade Secrets Practice Group. Most recently, Ed founded and ran his own Arizona- and Colorado-based firm, HopkinsWay PLLC, where he represented civil plaintiffs in matters involving privacy and cybersecurity with a focus on litigation.
At Fisher Phillips, Ed will draw from what he learned on the plaintiff side to represent and defend employers in data security and workplace privacy matters involving employees, former employees, independent contractors, insurance companies, and service providers.
A skilled litigator, Ed will also defend employers and executives in business to business disputes and disputes with former employees involving cybercrimes, contract breaches, data breaches, deceptive trade practices, and defamation. At the same time, he will place an emphasis on helping companies avoid litigation by advising them on compliance efforts and the creation and implementation of their privacy and related cybersecurity programs. In this role, Ed will assess, improve, design, and implement data privacy management programs that help clients comply with state, federal, and international privacy laws.
“A large part of my practice will be spent on compliance and ways employers can limit their risk of exposure by taking preventative measures to protect and secure their data,” said Ed. “One of my main goals will be shielding companies from litigation, but if litigation cannot be avoided then I will be ready to stand up in court for my clients as the trusted counsel they can rely upon at every phase of the proceedings.”
Ed raises the lawyer count in the Denver office to 22, which is more than triple the number of attorneys since opening in 2008. “Ed is joining us at such an exciting time of growth and momentum, and we are thrilled to welcome someone of his caliber to the team,” said Michael Greco, Regional Managing Partner of Fisher Phillips’ Denver office. “I have no doubt that Ed’s passion and excitement for the practice of law will be a perfect fit for the culture that already exists here in our Denver office, and we look forward to helping him continue to grow and thrive as a practitioner in our collaborative environment.”
Ed arrives with a perspective stemming from years of service to this country. After graduating with a BS in Management from the Air Force Academy, Ed completed a six-year career as a United States Air Force Officer, reaching the rank of Captain. During his active duty military career, he served for a year as an U.S. Air Force Academy Admissions Officer focused on identifying and developing talented, diverse cadet candidates nationwide. He went on to hold positions as an accounting and finance officer, acquisitions officer, budget officer, and deputy comptroller, and he managed Headquarters Twelfth Air Force’s financial operations in Central and South America. In this capacity, Ed oversaw multi-million-dollar business transactions with foreign governments and private companies while developing and managing nine-figure annual operating budgets.
Ed’s business experience in the Air Force inspired him to start his own defense industry company, and in 2001 he launched Criterion, LLC, in Tucson, AZ. He built a successful company and then sold his interests in it in 2005 and joined a private equity firm, where he conducted due diligence and business intelligence research, valuated undermanaged businesses, helped raised capital to acquire them, helped manage them, and sold them for profits. In 2007, he left the private equity firm to attend law school. Ed received his JD from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.
Lastly, Ed is one of only a few lawyers in the world who holds all seven certifications offered by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), including certifications in the laws of the United States (CIPP/US), European Union (CIPP/E), Canada (CIPP/C), and Asia (CIPP/A); United States governmental privacy laws (CIPP/G); IT privacy best practices (CIPT); and information privacy management (CIPM). The IAPP awarded Ed its Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) designation in 2016.
Source: www.fisherphillips.com
