Wotton + Kearney has bolstered its cyber, privacy and data security practice with the promotion of Joseph Fitzgerald (pictured above) to partner.
Fitzgerald, who is based in Wellington, advises large sporting, health, education and infrastructure bodies, as well as SME and non-profit entities on cyber and data security risks. These include issues such as incident response, cyber insurance coverage, data privacy and data protection. Fitzgerald is a fellow of the International Association of Privacy Professionals and has worked in New Zealand and the UK.
Last year, Fitzgerald was a finalist in the Young Insurance Professional of the Year category at the ANZIIF NZ Industry Awards.
“Joseph’s promotion won’t surprise anyone who has worked with him, as he is an absolute star in the cyber, privacy and data security space,” said Antony Holden, managing partner of Wotton + Kearney New Zealand. “At Wotton + Kearney, and at our Legalign Global partner DAC Beachcroft in London, he’s advised on the full range of cyber and data incidents, spanning data breaches, network compromises, malware and ransomware infections, and various bank and payment frauds.”
The promotion is one of several moves by the firm to grow its cyber, privacy and data security practice. This month, the team added Nicole Gabryk as special counsel and Avram Lum as cyber forensic manager. In December, Wotton + Kearney became the first law firm in the region to partner with Canopy to offer tech-enabled cyber forensic services to its clients.
“I’m privileged to work alongside Joseph on some of the largest and most complex cyber incidents in Australia and other jurisdictions, and congratulate him on his well-deserved promotion,” said Kieran Doyle, leader of Wotton + Kearney’s cyber practice. “I’m also delighted to see our market-leading cyber team continue to grow strongly to meet our clients ever-evolving cyber, privacy and data security needs.”
