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Janet P. Peyton Partner

Richmond T +1 804 775 1166 F fax +1 804 698 2230
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Janet currently serves as the firm’s office managing partner for the Richmond office and as the co-chair of the firm’s Data Privacy & Cybersecurity team. She assists clients with privacy compliance, preventive data security, information governance and incident response.

As a partner in the firm’s intellectual property practice, she counsels clients on data (including trade secret) protection, the use of artificial intelligence (AI), and has experience advising lawmakers and industry groups on privacy legislation at the state and federal level. She holds the CIPP/US certification as a Certified Information Privacy Professional from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Janet has substantial experience assisting clients with the strategic management of large U.S. and foreign intellectual property portfolios for retail, manufacturing and professional services companies, as well as institutions of higher education, and has significant experience with the IT, cybersecurity, and intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Among her many annual accolades, she has been Chambers-ranked for 15 straight years, reflecting her enduring standing as a leader in the field. She also is a past chair of the Virginia State Bar Intellectual Property Section.

Experience
  • Advised a client, a leader in one of the nation’s vital infrastructure sectors, on a major ransomware attack and data breach from day 1 of the attack through regulatory notifications and post-breach remediation.
  • Represented a major U.S. energy company with a complex vendor data breach impacting 250k+ consumers in 50 states as well as Canada, prepared consumer notices and arranged for call centers in two languages as well as numerous notices to Attorneys General; managed several follow up investigations and coordination with Canadian counsel on impacted consumers outside the U.S.
  • Assisted nationwide wholesale distributor/retailer with all aspects of multi-state ransomware data breach remediation, including preparation of notification letters for data subjects, notifications to state attorneys general and other relevant state agencies, coordination of credit monitoring benefits for data subjects.
  • Serves as worldwide coordinating trademark counsel for a major U.S. university with a top-tier licensing program.
  • Negotiated multi-million dollar, multi-year college bowl sponsorship agreements for a major U.S. food manufacturer.
  • Serves as worldwide trademark coordinating counsel for widely-recognized environmental certification marks.
  • Represented numerous colleges and non-profits in privacy compliance work following a data breach at a major educational services provider, including one involving over 300k data subjects.
  • Represented multi-national manufacturer with divestiture from parent company, including complex cross-licensing arrangements, consent agreements, and transition of 400+ trademark multinational portfolio.
  • Acted as outside counsel to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the development of its proposed Federal Consumer Privacy Act in 2018-2019.
  • Provided strategic advice to two liberal arts colleges regarding revisions to their intellectual property policies to ensure ownership by the college of online course material.
  • Created comprehensive information governance package for large, multi-national company routinely handling sensitive student data.
  • Represented Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provider in negotiation of long-term contract to provide online services for a major publishing house.

Events

Insights

  • Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Trademark Law, 2011-2027; Information Technology Law, 2023-2027
  • Named to “Influential Women of Law,” Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2026
  • Selected for inclusion in World Trademark Review 1000, Prosecution and Strategy, DC Metro Area, 2026
  • Selected for inclusion, “Virginia 500 Power List”, Virginia Business, 2025-2026
  • Selected for inclusion in Leading Lawyers, Intellectual Property, Southern Virginia, Chambers USA, 2012-2026
  • Selected for inclusion as a “Recognized Individual,” Cyber Law (including data protection and privacy), Legal 500 US, 2020-2026
  • Named to “Legal Elite,” Intellectual Property/Information Technology, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011-2021, 2023, 2024; Intellectual Property Law, 2025, Virginia Business
  • Named to “Virginia Leaders in the Law,” Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2024
  • Named a Client Service “All-Star,” BTI Consulting, 2022
  • Named a “Technology Trailblazer,” National Law Journal, 2019
  • Named “Lawyer of the Year,” Trademark Law, Richmond, Best Lawyers in America, 2016
  • Winner, “Intellectual Property Up and Coming Lawyer of the Year,” Chambers USA, Women in Law Awards, 2013
  • Named to “Virginia Rising Stars,” Intellectual Property, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2007

Spotlight

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