Rathburn prepares her clients for war – in cyberspace

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Women may be a minority in the industries Jennifer Rathburn works with and represents, but she hasn’t let that stop her from being at the forefront of her practice.

“I align myself with the top experts in the business and learn from them so I can walk the walk,” she said. “I’m comfortable because I’m trying to solve a problem and educate clients. That’s truly where my passion is.”

The cybersecurity attorney spends an enormous amount of time trying to understand and keep abreast of the changes that are constantly occurring in her field of expertise.

Rathburn not only helps clients with agency and regulatory reviews, contractual notifications and litigation; she also prepares clients for cybersecurity attacks.

“The most important thing about cybersecurity is that no one’s going to break into an organization through the front door anymore,” Rathburn said. “IT staff need to be trained like first responders in the military. The government can help you but you’re still responsible for identifying and removing cyber attackers from your system.”

Rathburn’s dedication extends beyond the practice of law. She and a colleague founded the Midwest Cybersecurity Alliance a little under a decade ago, a time when cybersecurity attacks were becoming increasingly common. The group tried to give everyone involved in the industry an opportunity to talk about both problems and solutions.

“The legal answer is not the right answer,” Rathburn said. “It’s one part of the answer.”

Rathburn noted that her practice goes beyond advising corporate clients. The information her corporate clients hold, whether it be financial or health-care data, is often belongs to ordinary people and is therefore private.

“I feel very connected to the ultimate protection of individual information,” she said.

Rathburn said that cybersecurity goes beyond having the right hardware or technical knowledge. And that’s good news for increasing the number of women who are practicing this sort of law.

“I think women are getting a lot more exposure simply from being in legal compliance risk roles,” she said. “It opens lots of doors for women because it’s a strategic risk practice, not just an IT practice.”