Alabama Bar Association Approves Privacy Law Specialty

The Alabama Bar Association has approved the Privacy Law Specialty authorized by the American Bar Association (ABA) and certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). This is the ninth specialty designation in the state, the IAPP said in a release.

The Privacy Law Specialist (PLS) certification is administered by the IAPP and accredited by the ABA, marking the fifteenth legal specialty accredited by the ABA. The credential is available to attorneys admitted to a U.S. state bar who pass the CIPP/US exam, as well as either the CIPM or the CIPT programs. Qualifying attorneys must also pass the PLS ethics exam administered by the IAPP or submit a recent MPRE score of 80+, provide proof of “ongoing and substantial” involvement practicing privacy law, supply evidence of at least 36 hours of continuing education in privacy law for the preceding three years, and provide at least five peer references from attorneys, clients or judges attesting to the attorney’s privacy law qualifications.

“There is an increasing importance for legal teams to be well-versed on the rapidly evolving area of privacy law,” said J. Trevor Hughes, IAPP president and CEO. “With this designation, each lawyer demonstrates his or her qualifications to remain at the forefront of this legal field and join other leaders in a key intersection of policy, law and technology.”

To date, only 40 attorneys have achieved the PLS nationwide including three practicing in Birmingham:

Paige Boshell
Managing Member, Privacy Counsel LLC
privacycounselllc.com
Boshell has also been designated a Fellow of Information Privacy and is certified CIPP/US (United States law), CIPP/E (EU law), and CIPM (privacy management).

Elena Lovoy
Of Counsel, McGlinchey Stafford
www.mcglinchey.com
Lovoy has also been certified CIPP/US (United States law), CIPP/E (EU law), CIPP/C (Canadian law), CIPM (privacy management), and CCEP (compliance and ethics professional).

Josh Torres
Corporate Regulatory and Privacy Counsel, iCIMS, Inc.
www.icims.com
Torres has also been designated a Fellow of Information Privacy and is certified CIPP/US (United States law), CIPM (privacy management), and CIPT (privacy technologist).

Interested attorneys may find more information on applying to become a Privacy Law Specialist at https://iapp.org/certify/pls/ or email pls@iapp.org.