Ariel Wolf Rejoins Venable’s eCommerce, Privacy, and Cybersecurity Practice

Ariel S. Wolf has rejoined Venable LLP as counsel in the eCommerce, Privacy, and Cybersecurity Practice in the Washington, DC office, and will lead the firm’s Mobility and Transportation Technology Group.

The firm said Wolf most recently served on U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine L. Chao’s leadership team as counselor to the deputy secretary, where he advised the secretary and deputy secretary on all matters pending before the DOT. Wolf launched and directed the DOT’s new Non-traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council, oversaw the DOT’s efforts on spectrum and connected vehicles, and developed policies and regulations governing automated vehicles, drones, hyperloop, commercial space launch and licensing, and other innovative technologies.

During his tenure at Venable from September 2011 to June 2018, Wolf was involved with complex legal and policy issues at the intersection of privacy, cybersecurity, transportation, consumer protection, and emerging technology, according to a release from the firm. He represented clients before Congress, the Federal Trade Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Department of Commerce, and other federal and state agencies, and worked with clients facing investigations and enforcement actions at both the federal and state levels. For clients facing security incidents and data breaches, Wolf provided crisis management counseling that considered legal and regulatory obligations, public relations issues, potential congressional and state attorney general scrutiny, brand reputation, and other key factors that affected businesses.

The firm said Wolf also worked closely with manufacturers, suppliers, and technology providers to navigate the emerging legal and policy landscape being transformed by connected cars, transportation mobility technology, and the Internet of Things. His work included supporting a leading coalition of companies to advance federal and state policy priorities related to fully automated vehicles, and provided legal counsel in such areas as automobile recalls, drones, general transportation law, and enforcement actions by NHTSA and related agencies.

Wolf received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2011 and his B.A. from Harvard College in 2005.