Hugh N. Danilack

Hugh Danilack is a senior associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn and a member of Gibson Dunn’s Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation, National Security, and Artificial Intelligence practice groups. Hugh advises companies on cybersecurity, data governance, artificial intelligence, and technology-driven regulatory and national security risk.

Hugh counsels clients from a diverse range of sectors across the full lifecycle of cybersecurity — from proactive regulatory strategy, governance design, and preparedness to managing major cyber incidents and strengthening resilience and compliance. He represents clients in high-impact data breaches and cyber incidents involving nation-state threat actors, ransomware and extortion groups, supply chain compromises, insider threats, and widespread cross-border data exposures. He leads incident response engagements, coordinating with technical experts and regulators while guiding global notification strategies, executive and board engagement, and interactions with regulatory authorities and law enforcement, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. state Attorneys General.

Hugh’s counseling practice encompasses a broad range of advisory work on cybersecurity requirements, data and technology governance, AI and data-risk frameworks, cross-border data transfer and access strategies and issues, enterprise cybersecurity and third-party risk programs, and national security issues. His experience includes advising clients on the Department of Justice’s Data Security Program, the Department of Commerce’s Connected Vehicles Rule, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules, the Federal Communications Commission’s Covered List, and the Department of War’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Hugh clerked for the Honorable Laurence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for the Honorable James C. Ho of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Hugh received his law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School. While in law school, he served as a Managing Editor on the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and was a member of the Harvard Federalist Society. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Government and minors in Public Policy and Moral Philosophy from Dartmouth College. At Dartmouth he was Phi Beta Kappa, captain of the Dartmouth varsity soccer team, and was awarded the Barrett All-Round Achievement Cup.

Hugh is a member of the bars of Maryland and the District of Columbia, and he is admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and D.C. Circuits.

Capabilities

• Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation
• Artificial Intelligence
• Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort
• International Trade Advisory and Enforcement
• National Security
• Tech and Innovation
• White Collar Defense and Investigations

Credentials

Education:

• Harvard University - 2020 Juris Doctor
• Dartmouth College - 2015 Bachelor of Arts

Admissions:

• District of Columbia Bar
• Maryland Bar

Clerkships:

• US Court of Appeals, DC Circuit, Hon. Laurence H. Silberman, 2021 - 2022
• US Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, Hon. James C. Ho, 2020 - 2021