Ian Adams
Attorney
Sacramento
Washington, D.C. Office
Ian Adams is a public policy attorney splitting his time between Orrick's Sacramento and Washington, D.C., offices. He advises clients on matters at the intersection of law, business and public policy with a focus on highly-automated vehicle technologies, privacy and insurance. Ian works closely with the public policy group on a contract attorney basis with Orrick.
His practice entails representing businesses before federal and state regulatory bodies, particularly within the Department of Transportation and state departments of insurance, and in providing related compliance guidance. Ian also represents clients before state legislatures, where he champions legislative outcomes in state capitals nationwide
Ian’s experience in the automotive technology and mobility industry includes testifying before Congress about HAV deployment and regulation, as well as representing clients AIMotive, Baidu, Getaround, Goodyear, NVIDIA, Scotty Labs, and a major automaker. His digital privacy and insurance regulatory work has involved representing Benefitfocus, McAfee, Motorola, Ring Central, Zenefits, and insurance start-ups.
In addition, Ian is the executive director of the International Center for Law & Economics, a think tank that promotes the use of law & economics methodologies to inform public policy debates. Earlier in his career, he held senior government affairs and research roles at other think tanks, where he coordinated outreach and engagement at the federal, state and local levels.
He was also legislative staff in the California and Oregon state legislatures and worked as a law clerk for California’s largest insurance trade association.
Ian is a graduate of Seattle University, with bachelor's degrees in history and philosophy, and received his law degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the California and District of Columbia bars.
