Washington, D.C.
James Chou regularly provides strategic advice on the regulatory and legal implications regarding the development and design of information security, response, and contingency programs, including counseling on the implications of security assessments. As a prior defense analyst, James helps clients navigate legal and business risk at the intersection of national security, cybersecurity, privacy, and technology.
A significant part of James’ practice focuses on security incident response, including response preparation, recovery readiness, and crisis management. He regularly guides companies through cybersecurity incidents by managing all aspects of the cybersecurity incident, including strategic planning, recovery, forensic investigation management, legal risk analysis (including sector related analysis), notification obligations, communications, regulatory inquiries, investigations, and enforcement events. He strives for an efficient and effective response that is aimed to protect a Company’s reputation, retain stakeholder trust, and manage legal and business risk. He has advised companies across a range of industries, including technology, financial, semiconductor, defense, telecommunications, and healthcare.
James also works closely with legal, security, communications and executive leadership teams to assess information security, privacy, and response programs, and to develop practical approaches to maintaining regulatory compliance. He also provides input on cybersecurity and privacy decisions across the product lifecycle, advising on legal and technical implications of such decisions. He also assists technology and fintech companies in proactively managing legal, practical, and regulatory challenges stemming from AI-driven solutions, including advising on compliant solutions for areas such as know-your-customer (KYC), fraud detection, and computer network operations.
James has also counseled cybersecurity, space, and defense technology companies, advising on a range of U.S. Government compliance requirements, including CMMC and NISPOM. He has supported companies in the conduct and assessment of cybersecurity programs using applicable NIST standards.
Prior to joining Orrick, James was an associate at Buckley LLP. Previously, he spent nearly 10 years as a Defense Analyst and a Senior Operations Research Analyst for the U.S. Army, where he focused on cybersecurity, defense strategy and policy, and program analysis. He also spent more than three years in the defense industrial base as an IT Project Manager and Policy Analyst.
James is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), and a Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE). He is conversational in Mandarin.