Business Lawyer Master Class Series: Cybersecurity and Data Privacy 2026

Michael D. Ecker is Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Business Law Section and serves as a course planner for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Business Lawyer Master Class Series, successor to the PBA BLS’s long-standing Business Law Institute. A frequent lecturer and author, he has presented numerous continuing legal education programs on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, business transactions, healthcare law, technology licensing, and emerging business issues. Mr. Ecker retired from Eckert Seamans following more than four decades of corporate and transactional practice representing entrepreneurs, closely held and emerging businesses, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and other business clients. He continues to advise a limited number of long-time clients on selected business law matters. An active leader in the Pennsylvania legal community, Mr. Ecker has served in numerous leadership positions within the Pennsylvania Bar Association Business Law Section and is committed to advancing the education and professional development of business lawyers throughout the Commonwealth. Outside his legal practice, Mr. Ecker serves on the Board of Directors of Children’s Guidance Resource Centers, Inc., and volunteers with First Tee and Wissahickon Trails. Mr. Ecker earned a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University and a J.D./M.B.A. from Emory University. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and before the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania and holds an AV® Preeminent™ peer rating from Martindale-Hubbell®.Mr. Ecker can be reached at [email protected].

David is the chair of Reed Smith’s Records & E-Discovery (RED) Group and a member of the Emerging Technologies group. A Harvard Law graduate with more than 35 years of commercial litigation experience, David serves as e-discovery counsel and information governance counsel to some of the top companies in the world. He also represents clients in complex litigation matters, and counsels companies of all sizes on information governance and litigation readiness issues. David has been recognized individually by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, and Who’s Who Legal as a top e-discovery lawyer and litigator. He has also received a Law 2.0 “Outstanding Leadership” award in 2022 and the Legal Intelligencer Pennsylvania “Innovator of the Year” award in 2023. In addition to individual recognition, the 70+ lawyer RED Group that he leads has been recognized by Chambers and Legal 500 as a leading e-discovery practice. David currently chairs the EDRM Project Trustees and serves on the advisory board of the Georgetown Advanced eDiscovery Institute. He was involved in setting up the E-Discovery Special Masters (EDSM) program in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, has served as an EDSM in multiple cases, and has drafted and supported amendments to state and federal rules focusing on e-discovery. David has also authored numerous legal publications and is a frequent presenter at continuing legal education seminars regarding e-discovery, information governance, and artificial intelligence, including generative AI. He is the principal architect of the E-Discovery App, launched in 2020, and leads ongoing App development and innovation initiatives.

Marcin is a counsel in Reed Smith’s Records & E-Discovery team and a founding member of the group, having joined the firm in 2011 as an e-discovery attorney. He brings a unique skill set to Reed Smith, with over 15 years of experience in e-discovery law, a background in computer science, and a Relativity Certified Administrator credential. Marcin leverages his deep technical understanding and years of experience with technology assisted review to advise case teams and clients on the most efficient and defensible approaches to large-scale document reviews. He also collaborates with case teams to develop creative solutions to complex large document review challenges and provides user training and support for various e-discovery software platforms. In addition, Marcin plays an active role in beta testing and proof-of-concept evaluation of new technology, including artificial intelligence tools, for potential adoption by the firm.

Elizabeth Wilson is a Special Member at Eckert Seamans Cherin Mellott, LLC and focuses her practice on data protection, data privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. She has prior inhouse experience advising on data privacy and client confidentiality laws in the banking and clinical research industry. Specifically, Elizabeth has experience identifying legally compliant and practical solutions on data privacy matters surrounding new business ventures, regulatory and investigations requests, HR data inquiries, storage of personal information on cloud platforms, and issues involving the use of artificial intelligence, among other matters. In addition, Elizabeth advises on data privacy notices, internal policies and procedures, training materials, and data privacy and cybersecurity contract negotiations. Prior to joining Eckert Seamans, Elizabeth served as Vice President, General Counsel, Legal Tech & Data Protection – Americas Head at Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC. Previously, Elizabeth held the role of Global Data Protection Officer, Compliance Officer, and Senior Inside Counsel at Clinipace, Inc. (now Caidya). Elizabeth received her LL.M., in Law & Entrepreneurship, at Duke University School of Law, her J.D. at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and her B.S. in Neuroscience at Lafayette College. Elizabeth is a US and EU Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) and an Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP) with the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Elizabeth has authored several publications, which may be found https://www.eckertseamans.com/our-people/elizabeth-wilson

Roger is a Special Member at the Philadelphia office of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of intellectual property, data privacy compliance advice, and software and technology contracts. He helps clients secure, protect, enforce, and maintain trademarks, copyrights, domain names, and software and technology assets. His work focuses on the use and infringement of copyrighted works and trademarks online, where he helps his clients enforce their rights against elusive bad actors, while also defending against third-party claims. He counsels on advertising matters online and through social media, as well as on issues involving promotional emails and automated telephone or text message communications. With respect to licensing and other transactions involving software and cloud-based solutions, he has experience in drafting and negotiating agreements in a variety of industries. He also is experienced in counseling clients on how to comply with data privacy and protection laws, and assists clients in keeping contracts and privacy policies compliant and up to date with new regulations related to the processing of personal information. Roger is the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Trademarks and the Internet Committee, and received his J.D. from Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law.