Former Apple Inc. Chief Privacy Officer Jane Horvath Joins Gibson Dunn’s D.C. Office

Firm News  |  January 9, 2023


Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP announced today that Apple Inc.’s Chief Privacy Officer, Jane Horvath, has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner. Horvath will become Co-Chair of the Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group alongside Ahmed Baladi in Paris, Ashlie Beringer in Palo Alto and Alexander Southwell in New York.

“As the Chief Privacy Officer at Apple, Jane led the company’s regulatory, policy and product strategy on all privacy and cybersecurity related legal matters,” said Ashlie Beringer, Co-Chair of the firm’s Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group. “She is an industry powerhouse with deep relationships with global regulators and policymakers. Her experience and relationships are second to none, and she will further cement Gibson Dunn’s position as the market-leading platform for privacy, cybersecurity, data innovation and technology counsel.”

“Jane is a recognized thought leader with incredible strategic and technical depth, global policy and regulatory relationships, and hands-on practical experience building privacy, cybersecurity and data solutions on a global scale and at the very edge of innovation,” said Greta Williams, Co-Partner in Charge of the D.C. office. “She adds extraordinary technical expertise to our D.C. and global platform, and her decision to join our team reflects that our firm is the premier destination practice for clients at the forefront of next generation technologies.”

“I joined the legal profession as an associate in Gibson Dunn’s D.C. office and have had the pleasure of working with the Gibson Dunn team throughout my career. In many ways, this feels like a homecoming,” said Horvath. “This is an exciting time for anyone who has a passion for both technology and the law, and as I look to begin the next phase of my career, I look forward to working alongside my Gibson Dunn colleagues to help clients develop and implement critical business strategies at scale.”

Horvath’s arrival follows on the heels of several recent additions in the last year that expand Gibson Dunn’s Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Innovation Practice Group, including Lauren Goldman in New York, Stephenie Gosnell Handler (former Director for Cybersecurity Strategy and Digital Acceleration at McKinsey & Company), Svetlana Gans (former Vice President and Associate General Counsel at the NCTA – The Internet & Television Association and former Chief of Staff for Acting Federal Trade Commission Chair Maureen K. Ohlhausen) and Gustav Eyler (former Director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch) in D.C., Vivek Mohan (former Head of Information Security Law at Apple Inc.) in Palo Alto, Joel Harrison in London and Rosemarie Ring in San Francisco. Beringer added, “Their addition to our partnership further strengthens our platform and expands our capabilities. Gibson Dunn’s collaborative approach leverages the firm’s talent across multiple practice areas to ensure the highest quality service, and Jane joins our partners in providing exceptional legal acumen and delivering results to our clients on their most critical matters.”

Gibson Dunn’s tech regulatory practice brings extensive legal expertise and experience to a wide range of technology-related matters in a rapidly evolving global economy. The firm’s top-ranked lawyers advise the world’s most dynamic tech companies on cutting-edge issues that often disrupt traditional business models. The collective experience of our attorneys uniquely positions Gibson Dunn to partner with clients in exploring new opportunities and finding innovative solutions when faced with challenges inherent in emerging areas of business and law.

About Jane Horvath

Horvath will focus her practice on advising companies on privacy, cybersecurity and data strategies, particularly those at the forefront of new regulation. She will also guide clients on advocacy and strategy with global regulators and policy makers on these issues.

She will advise company management and product teams on developing product and business strategies that involve privacy and data architecture, encryption and offensive security and data location. She will counsel public boards and audit committees on cybersecurity oversight and risk. She will also advise clients on legislative and policy strategy relating to privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and technology.

Horvath worked at Apple from 2011 to 2022, most recently serving as Chief Privacy Officer. During her 11-year tenure at Apple, she built and led the privacy legal team, gaining substantial experience in worldwide data protection laws, including in jurisdictions with omnibus privacy laws, surveillance laws and encryption and related laws. Prior to that, she served as Global Privacy Counsel at Google from 2007 to 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice’s first Chief Privacy Counsel and Civil Liberties Officer from 2006 to 2007 and the General Counsel at Digital City, an America Online subsidiary, from 1995 to 2001.  She began her legal career as an associate at Gibson Dunn.

Horvath received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1991.