Janet currently serves as the firm’s office managing partner for the Richmond office. She practices in the areas of intellectual property and data privacy and security. Janet provides worldwide brand protection, enforcement, licensing and transactional IP services, and she assists clients with preventive data security as well as compliance issues in the aftermath of a data breach.
Janet counsels clients in the United States on U.S. privacy compliance and data breach and advises 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 trademark portfolios for retail, manufacturing and professional services companies, as well as institutions of higher education, and has significant experience with the IT and intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions. She advises clients in all aspects of advertising and branding, including trademark and copyright license agreements, sponsorship agreements, product placement and influencer agreements. Among numerous annual recognitions, she was named a Client Service “All-Star” by BTI Consulting in 2022. 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
- Speaker, "The Cyber Brief – Law, Liability & Response," SCG Legal Annual Conference, 2025
- Speaker, Generative AI and the Law, October 19, 2023
- Speaker, EdTech Webinar, July 27, 2023
- Speaker, Hot Topics in Higher Education, February 8, 2023
- Speaker, "Privacy, Incident Response and What You Can Do to Mitigate Risk," 18th Annual Nonprofit Seminar, November - December 2021
- Speaker, Post-Alston Name, Image and Likeness Implications for Education Benefits and Title IX, July 15, 2021
- Speaker, "Where Marketers and Attorneys Learn to Speak the Same Language ," Frenemies Video Series, October 2020 - April 2021
- Panelist, "Footwear IP 101 – Patents, Trademarks, and More," Footwear IP Digital Summit, Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, April 26, 2021
- Host, "The One Where Europe Made Privacy Matter: 10 Simple Things for Marketers to Know About GDPR," Frenemies Video Series, April 1, 2021
- Speaker, "Are You Prepared for a Cyber Event?," Sun Trust / Truist Webinar Panel, October 28, 2020
- Host, "The One Where We Find Out Trademarks are Not Registered In a Day: The Trademark Registration Process," Frenemies Video Series, October 5, 2020
- Host, "The One Where Marketing Chose a Trademark Legal Actually Approved," Frenemies Video Series, October 5, 2020
- Speaker, Security and Privacy Issues for Fiduciaries and Clients, American Bankers Association Webinar, February 7, 2019
- Speaker, "The New Security and Privacy Landscape: GDPR, CalCPA, and What They Mean for Nonprofits," 16th Annual Nonprofit Seminar, October - November 2018
- Speaker, "The Intersection of Social Media and Privacy Law," Women in Energy Leadership Initiative, April 11, 2018
- Speaker, EU Privacy for U.S. Companies, March 1, 2018
- Speaker, "Social Media and Data," Protect Your Brand and Advance Your Marketing Strategies, February 28, 2018
- Keynote Speaker, "Data Breach Response and Notification – What Every Attorney Should Know," Data Breach Response and Notification, September 22, 2017
- Speaker, "U.S. Privacy and Security Law: An Overview," The Data Privacy and Security Puzzle: Do You Have All the Pieces?, November 3, 2016
- Speaker, "Data Privacy: Current State Law Developments," 13th Annual Nonprofit Seminar – Staying Current and Avoiding Trouble: What Nonprofits Need to Know, September 15 & 30, 2015
- Presenter, "Privacy Law in the Smart Meter Era," Utility Client Seminar, September 22, 2014
- Co-presenter, Data Privacy and Security Program, Client Seminar, Health Care Industry, October 3, 2013
- Co-presenter, 2013 International Data Privacy and Security Conference, Client Seminar, Electronics Industry, August 12, 2013
- Speaker, "Data Privacy and Security Update," Virginia Risk and Insurance Management Society, November 8, 2012
- Speaker, "Intellectual Property 101 – How to Identify and Protect Your Organization’s Valuable Intellectual Property," 10th Annual Nonprofit Seminar, September 25, October 9 & 16, 2012
- Speaker, "IP for Business Lawyers," University of Virginia School of Law, September 23, 2011
- Speaker, "Websites and the Law: Legal Issues for Website Owners," Fifth Annual Nonprofit Conference, June 5, 2007
- Speaker, "Legal-Ease: The Next Level: Key Strategies for Drafting and Negotiating Purchasing Agreements," NAPM-VA, March 16, 2007
- Speaker, "Privacy and Information Security Update," ABA Antitrust Section, Privacy and Information Security and Corporate Counseling Committees Brown Bag Program, March 13, 2007
Insights
- Author, Halloween Reminder – Don’t Get Haunted by Hacks, Password Protected, October 29, 2025
- Quoted, McGuireWoods Appoints New Office Managing Partners, Law360, December 18, 2023
- Author, New Year Brings New State-Level Data Privacy Protections, Password Protected, December 15, 2022
- Quoted, "Twitter settlement brings work for privacy professionals," FTC Watch, August 9, 2022
- Author, Virginia’s New Consumer Data Protection Act, Password Protected, March 4, 2021
- Author, Data Privacy Day 2021: Privacy and Cybersecurity Are On Our Minds, Too, Password Protected, January 28, 2021
- Quoted, "As Disclosures Continue, Blackbaud Breach Remains a ‘Conundrum’ for Some Nonprofits," The Chronicle of Philanthropy, August 5, 2020
- Author, Blackbaud Data Breach: Should You Notify Affected Individuals or EU Data Protection Authorities?, Password Protected, July 27, 2020
- Author, ECJ Invalidates the EU-US Privacy Shield! How Safe is it to Use SCCs for Data Transfers from the EU to the US?, Password Protected, July 16, 2020
- Author, Supreme Court Trademark Ruling Shows You Can’t Judge a Book(ing) by Its .Com, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 2, 2020
- Author, Update: Coronavirus Cyberscams and Other Attacks – Scammers Are Still at It, Password Protected, April 9, 2020
- Author, Coronavirus Cyber Scams: Outbreak Map Used to Spread Malware and Cyberattack on HHS, Password Protected, March 24, 2020
- Editor, "Domestic Privacy Profile – Virginia," Bloomberg Law Data Privacy and Security, Bloomberg BNA, October 2018
- Quoted, "Analyzing New and Amended State Breach Notification Laws," The Cybersecurity Law Report, June 6, 2018
- Co-author, "Trends and Developments (USA)," Chambers and Partners’ Global Practice Guide: Data Protection & Cyber Security 2018, May 29, 2018
- Author, New CFPB Consumer Protection Principles, Password Protected, October 23, 2017
- Author, Obama Order Establishes Federal Privacy Council, Password Protected, February 11, 2016
- Co-author, "Smart Grids and Data Privacy in the Internet of Things," Law360, June 5, 2014
- Author, Smart Grids: Security, Privacy and Liability, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 28, 2014
- Author, ICANN Opens Domain Naming Process to the General Public, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, June 24, 2011
- Author, Corporate Response to Hacker Attacks and Potential Liability, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, June 6, 2011
- Author, ICO Investigates Sony for Security Breach – Data Controllers Should Review Procedures to Avoid Investigations, Fines, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, May 5, 2011
- Author, Companies Should Act Today to Protect Trademarks on Facebook, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, June 12, 2009
- Author, "‘DO’ Diligence: Beyond Trademarks and Patents, Overlooked Intellectual Property in Mergers and Acquisitions," Bloomberg Corporate Law Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Winter 2008
- Author, Best Practices for IP Ownership Issues in Technology Transactions, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 24, 2008
- Author, "The Race to Protect Personal Information," Virginia Lawyer, June/July 2007
- Selected for inclusion, “Virginia 500 Power List”, Virginia Business, 2025-2026
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Trademark Law, 2011-2026; Information Technology Law, 2023-2026
- Selected for inclusion in Leading Lawyers, Intellectual Property, Southern Virginia, Chambers USA, 2012-2025
- Named to “Virginia Leaders in the Law,” Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2024
- Selected for inclusion in “Legal 500 United States,” Cyber Law (including data protection and privacy), 2020-2025
- Named to “Legal Elite,” Intellectual Property/Information Technology, Virginia Business, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011-2021, 2023, 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