SHERI PORATH ROCKWELL focuses her practice on privacy and cybersecurity law. She advises companies on privacy compliance and corporate data protection programs, including compliance with federal and state privacy laws. Sheri is a member of Sidley’s California Consumer Privacy Litigation Task Force, a dedicated group of lawyers focused on the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), counseling clients on how to mitigate litigation risks. She regularly counsels businesses about compliance with the CCPA, CPRA, HIPAA, and other state and federal privacy laws. Sheri is an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) and Europe (CIPP/E), and regularly blogs and delivers presentations regarding emerging domestic privacy law. She serves as the chair of the Privacy Law Section of the California Lawyers Association, which she helped found. In 2022, the Privacy Law Section received the “California Lawyers Association Section Innovation Award” for demonstrating a commitment to promoting excellence.
Sheri also has experience litigating a variety of complex commercial matters, including copyright, trademark and right of publicity actions, commercial class actions, complex real estate actions, and contract disputes. She has litigated in federal and state court and in arbitration and mediation settings. Additionally, Sheri has successfully negotiated with state and federal regulators to avert and settle administrative proceedings.
Some of Sheri’s recent privacy and cybersecurity engagements include:
- Advising companies on CCPA and its interplay with GDPR, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, HIPAA, and state data privacy laws.
- Developing state data privacy compliance policies and preparedness programs.
- Drafting privacy policies and data breach incident response plans.
- Assisting clients with data breach and cybersecurity incidents.
- Performing due diligence for mergers related to data security and privacy risks.
- Evaluating employee social media platforms and compliance with FTC and other data privacy laws.
Prior to joining Sidley, Sheri served as general counsel and vice president of operations for a national affordable housing property management company. Previously, she also practiced as a litigator at a prominent entertainment and real estate law firm in Los Angeles.
After graduating, with honors, from the University of California, Berkeley, Sheri earned her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law where she served as topic editor for the Hale Moot Court Honors Program and received the Edward and Eleanor Shattuck Award, which recognizes top students who have made outstanding contributions to public service, student programs, or general quality of life at the law school. Before beginning her practice, she clerked for U.S. District Court Judge George P. Kazen in the Southern District of Texas.