Jackson Kelly announced the establishment of the Firm’s Homeland Security Practice Group. The practice is among the country’s first dedicated to helping companies implement the measures called for in the Homeland Security Act and subsequent related legislation. The Group will help clients identify potential security threats, in both the electronic and physical working environments, and examine new employee privacy guidelines and proactively engage in the policymaking process that is ongoing.
“Jackson Kelly has developed a strong working knowledge of new operational processes derived from the post September 11th regulatory changes,” Beckett, the practice group’s primary contact, said.
Recognizing the potential impact upon many Firm clients, Jackson Kelly’s attorneys quickly mobilized to form the Homeland Security Practice Group.
“We immediately recognized the import of the National and State Homeland Security Initiatives on business,” Beckett said. “We understood several of our clients would be impacted, and would need to consult with professionals who thoroughly understood the new regulations. They would need lawyers who knew how to best evaluate proposed regulations and implement the final laws.”
Recent regulatory changes have placed the onus on companies to assess their individual vulnerabilities and potential threats, and yet, at the same time, businesses have an ever-greater obligation to protect the privacy of employees.
The emerging nature of the laws governing terrorism and privacy has led the Homeland Security Practice Group to take a proactive approach in working with clients. In addition to comprehensive examination of laws that focus on liability, compliance, and other related anti-terrorism issues, the Homeland Security Practice Group makes available the law firm’s business and environmental consulting subsidiaries in order to advise clients in regard to assessment of vulnerabilities and development of risk management strategies.
The Homeland Security Practice Group draws expertise from many of the Firm’s existing practice groups including, administrative law, banking, biometrics, e-commerce and cyber law, energy and natural resources, environmental law, government contracts, immigration and naturalization, insurance, intellectual property, international law, labor and employment, privacy law, real estate transactions law, securities law, and transportation law.
“Today’s challenges are a shared responsibility we all are called upon to meet,” Emch said. “We take very seriously Jackson Kelly PLLC’s commitment to fulfill the needs of our friends and clients and have dedicated attorneys and staff to that end.”
