Earlier in her career, Laurel served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Dana M. Douglas on the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and continued to clerk for Judge Douglas following her confirmation to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In that role, Laurel researched and drafted numerous judicial opinions and prepared bench memoranda analyzing a range of complex substantive legal issues.

Laurel maintains an active pro bono practice and has significant experience with voting rights and Section 1983 litigation.

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Maddie’s experience includes developing AI and privacy policies, preparing custom cybersecurity training materials, and drafting terms of use documents for clients. She is accredited by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) as a Certified Information Privacy Professional for both US and European law (CIPP/US and CIPP/E), Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP), and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM), and by the ISC2 as Certified in Cybersecurity.

Maddie regularly conducts presentations on data privacy and AI issues, helping corporations understand the impact of these topics on emerging technologies and how to navigate the legal landscape surrounding them.

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In her active pro bono practice, Hafsa has secured motions to dismiss for low-income tenants in eviction defense and defended clients facing deportation in immigration proceedings. She has also assisted long-term prisoners in applications for probation and counseled clients on claims made under Section 1983.

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• Represented a developer in litigation involving challenges to municipal land use and zoning ordinances*
• Negotiated a settlement on behalf of financial technology company in individual consumer action alleging negligence and violations of the Uniform Commercial Code*

*Matter handled prior to joining McDermott Will & Schulte.

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Joe represents clients through all phases of litigation, including jury and bench trials in state and federal courts. His broader commercial litigation experience includes matters involving data privacy, trade secrets, national security, government contracts, and insolvency.

Joe draws on his accounting background to develop and present evidence on complex financial issues. In a major fraudulent-transfer action, he worked closely with financial experts on accounting, valuation, and damages and developed a damages theory that the trial court adopted in awarding a $170 million judgment.

Before joining the firm, Joe served as a law clerk to the Honorable David A. Tapp of the US Court of Federal Claims.

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• Represented a data center developer in arbitration and contested utility regulatory proceedings concerning infrastructure obligations, and the allocation of infrastructure costs
• Represented a Washington resident in a pro bono matter involving title to real property; secured judgment for the pro bono plaintiff defeating challenges to title brought by real estate speculator
• Secured a $170 million judgment following a four-week trial on behalf of the operator of a crude-by-rail transloading facility pursuing fraudulent-transfer claims arising from a breach of a take-or-pay contract. The American Lawyer’s Litigation Daily recognized Joe and the trial team as “Litigator of the Week” runners-up*
• Secured judgment for an insurer following a three-week trial in a $400 million fine art coverage dispute. The American Lawyer’s Litigation Daily recognized Joe and the trial team as “Litigator of the Week” runners-up*
• Represented a defense contractor against tort suits arising out of Abu Ghraib prison scandal in two separate jury trials*
• Represented a major accounting firm in a US Department of Justice and Securities Exchange Commission investigation of a foreign manufacturer*
• Defended an educational technology company in a proposed class action alleging that the use of a pixel web tracking technology caused violations of the Video Privacy Protection Act*

*Matter handled prior to joining McDermott Will & Schulte.

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