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CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Womble Bond Dickinson lawyers Allen O’Rourke, Nik Patel and Ripley Rand all are on the agenda at the Festival of Legal Learning, a two-day CLE event presented by the UNC School of Law.
- O’Rourke will discuss “The Internet, Cybercrime, and Key Legal Considerations.” In this session, O’Rourke will introduce basic concepts of web technology so that attorneys without training in computer science can better understand and communicate about legal issues related to the Internet. He also will discuss recent high-profile cyberattacks and explores how they are carried out over the Internet, using case studies such as the WannaCry ransomware attack of May 2017 and the Mirai DDoS attack of October 2016. Finally, he will provide an overview of data breach legal considerations, covering (1) cybersecurity preparedness and compliance issues, (2) responding to cybersecurity incidents, and (3) defending civil litigation and government investigations stemming from cyberattacks.
- Patel will speak on “The Importance of Effective Communication in Your Practice.” Communication skills are critical to the success of any new attorney but especially so for new attorneys. This session will expose participants to thoughts and methods designed to improve their listening, oral communication, and advocacy skills as legal counsel.
- Rand will give a joint presentation with Superior Court Judge R. Allen Baddour Jr. titled, “View from the Courtroom: Ethics and Professionalism.” This session will offer an interesting and amusing look at important rules of professionalism, ethics and general rules of practice, including interactions with the court, opposing counsel and witnesses.
The Festival of Legal Learning takes place Feb. 9-10 at the William & Ida Friday Continuing Education Center on the UNC campus.
Allen O’Rourke represents clients in cyber investigations, government enforcement, and civil litigation related to data breaches and cyberattacks. He also counsels clients on data privacy and cybersecurity issues. Before joining Womble Carlyle, he served as an Assistant US Attorney at the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he focused on cybercrime.
Nik Patel is a corporate and securities attorney that guides domestic and international public and private companies in mergers, acquisitions, financings and other corporate transactions. His M&A experience includes deals of up to $1 billion.
Ripley Rand is a former US Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. At Womble Bond Dickinson, he counsels clients in white-collar criminal defense, health care fraud defense, internal investigations and regulatory enforcement matters.
