The following is an excerpt from Practice Perspectives: Vault's Guide to Legal Practice Areas.
Julian Lamm, Partner—Commercial Litigation (2022)
Julian Lamm is a litigation partner based in the Los Angeles office of White & Case. His domestic and international practice focuses on defending technology companies in complex civil litigation and regulatory investigations involving cutting-edge issues concerning privacy and data protection, cybersecurity, intermediary liability, and unfair competition. He also regularly advises technology companies to help them launch new products and services around the world that implicate data protection laws, and assists clients in developing clear privacy disclosures, policies, and privacy-by-design programs.
Describe your practice area and what it entails.
I have a multi-faceted international practice. One part of my practice involves leading and strategizing complex civil litigation and regulatory investigations for the world’s leading technology clients across Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. Dozens of these matters are pending or were resolved before the highest courts throughout the world—including numerous cases before the European Court of Justice (CJEU), the Austrian Supreme Court, the Colombian Constitutional Court, and the Israeli Supreme Court, among others. The cases and regulatory investigations pertain to cutting-edge issues in the tech and social media space, including data protection, cybersecurity, challenges to terms of use, intermediary liability, free speech, and defamation. Another part of my practice involves advising technology companies to help them launch products on a global scale in compliance with data protection laws.
What types of clients do you represent?
Technology and social media clients, including Facebook, Snap, Twitter, and WhatsApp.
What types of cases/deals do you work on?
The cases and regulatory matters I work on pertain to cutting-edge issues in the tech and social space across the globe. Some of the most interesting cases deal with balancing free expression principles with the right of privacy and have wide ramifications on how people can communicate and access information online. Other interesting cases concern interpretations of (often new) global data protections laws, like the GDPR, and involve arguing matters of first impression in the highest courts around the world, while also distilling complex online technologies and tools.
How did you choose this practice area?
From the outset, I wanted to practice in an area that was relevant to our time, global in nature, fast-paced, and that involved innovative issues—both factually and legally. I enjoy representing some of the world’s biggest and most influential companies and helping them solve complex problems across multiple jurisdictions.
What is a typical day like and/or what are some common tasks you perform?
I counsel tech and social media clients through high-impact litigation and regulatory disputes. This involves everything from strategizing and coordinating matters across continents in close collaboration with local counsel, preparing persuasive submissions, and assisting clients to help them launch new products and services that comply with consumer and data protection laws from across the globe. It is a fast-paced and innovative industry, which means that every day is unique and often brings new and exciting challenges to work through.
What training, classes, experience, or skills development would you recommend to someone who wishes to enter your practice area?
I always recommend classes and/or experience that advance your practical skills, which will help you hit the ground running in private practice. One thing I found extremely helpful was externing for a judge during law school. It provided insight into the actual practice of law (i.e., seeing how lawyers were effective vs. ineffective) and honing writing skills, which are important to effectively communicate with clients, the judiciary and regulators. I would also recommend experiences abroad (e.g., studying in a foreign country), as being culturally sensitive is also key to working successfully in a global law firm and international practice.
What is the most challenging aspect of practicing in this area?
Working in an innovative space like tech and social media, and at an international level, means there are often no laws (or only very recently enacted laws) and few cases, if any, addressing many of the issues our clients bring to us on a day-to-day basis. The challenge is that you always have to think on your feet and craft innovative arguments that have yet to be tested before courts or regulators.
What do you like best about your practice area?
Working at an international level, you are always learning new things—e.g., new laws and regulations and new cultures—and forming relationships with practitioners in hundreds of countries across the globe.
What are some typical tasks that a junior lawyer would perform in this practice area?
White & Case provides junior lawyers with substantive experience from day one. As part of a commitment to developing future talent, junior lawyers can expect to participate in everything from developing the litigation strategy, to drafting substantive submissions, to liaising with local counsel around the globe, and providing strategic reporting to clients on their global dockets.
What kinds of experience can summer associates gain at this practice area at your firm?
White & Case provides summer associates with real substantive experience each summer, including within our international tech and social media litigation practice. Each summer, I work directly with a number of summer associates on real matters to provide them with experience so they can make informed decisions about the future of their careers. Summer associates also get to experience what working in a truly international team and a global law firm means, by interacting with colleagues across the U.S. and our wider network of 45 offices in 31 countries.
Assignments are extremely varied and can involve work on any of our thousands of cases throughout the world, implicating cutting-edge issues in relation to data privacy, defamation, hate speech, election compliance, etc. For example, a summer associate was able to liaise directly with local counsel on a defense strategy and then proceed to draft substantial portions of a brief opposing class certification in a high-impact consumer privacy class action pending in Israel.