Julia Tama

Partner
Julia Tama

As a co-chair of Venable's Privacy and Data Security Group, Julia Tama is a trusted advisor to large and small companies in a dynamic legal area. Julia helps clients resolve their privacy and security compliance challenges and zealously defends companies in government inquiries or enforcement actions. Her approach is tailored and practical, rooted in a fluent understanding of relevant technologies and each client’s unique business model and goals.

In the compliance arena, Julia supports clients in leveraging their data assets strategically and responsibly under the law. Julia's compliance advice is informed by her enforcement and policy advocacy experience to provide clients with a risk-based and forward-looking perspective. Her clients span a range of industries, including retail, entertainment, communications, fintech, data services, SaaS providers, market research, airlines, and online publishers of all kinds. Julia closely supports business and technical teams on all aspects of product development, as well as establishing and maturing privacy programs. Her practice also includes:

  • Assessments of privacy and security practices, including due diligence for corporate transactions
  • Contracting support, including templates, training, and playbooks to streamline negotiations
  • Preparing internal and external policies, procedures, and notices
  • Developing data security programs as well as incident preparation and response

In the enforcement arena, Julia provides creative and sophisticated advocacy aimed at resolving regulatory or legislative scrutiny of clients' privacy, security, and advertising practices. She has represented entities in dozens of matters before the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, members and committees of Congress, and state attorneys general. She also helps clients stay abreast of policy and legislative developments and prepare comments on proposed laws and agency rulemakings.

Julia has particular expertise in the areas of children's privacy, location data, adtech services, and streaming video platforms. She brings significant compliance and enforcement experience applying "unfair or deceptive" legal standards and emerging state privacy laws in California and nationwide. Julia also advises extensively on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act; financial privacy laws such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and state analogues; and the Digital Advertising Alliance's Self-Regulatory Principles, among other industry frameworks related to online data.

In addition to counseling clients on preparing for potential data breaches, such as through assessments and tabletop exercises, Julia guides clients through all phases of responding to security incidents, including directing forensic investigations; issuing breach notifications if required; and handling inquiries from regulators, customers, and the media.

Julia serves on the Venable Foundation Grants Committee. Prior to joining Venable, Julia served as Judiciary Committee counsel to U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), where her portfolio included privacy, data security, consumer protection, child Internet safety, and foreign intelligence surveillance issues.

Experience

Government Experience

  • Judiciary Committee Counsel, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

Insights

Credentials
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Education

  • J.D. Yale Law School
  • M.P.A. School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
  • B.A. Swarthmore College
  • Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

  • New York
  • District of Columbia

Recognition
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  • Legal 500, Media, Media, Technology and Telecoms – Cyber Law (including Data Privacy and Data Protection), 2021 – 2022