USA: Law firm forming autonomous vehicle industry group

Honigman hired top Federal Trade Commission attorney Steve Wernikoff, who will co-lead the group along with Honigman partner Tom Appledorn. Wernikoff served as the FTC’s Enforcement Director in the Office of Technology Research and Investigation, and brings 17 years of experience in mobile and emerging technologies, privacy, data security, advertising and marketing, connected devices and big data matters.

Honigman is leading the charge to help clients with guidance and strategies for the complex legal, business, IP and regulatory requirements related to autonomous vehicle technologies. We can help clients navigate the broad spectrum of issues and potential pitfalls throughout their product development and commercialization strategies.

Honigman is responding to what it sees as a growing need for practical guidance as new laws and best practices are adopted by this emergent industry. Traditional automotive OEMs, suppliers and strategic investment entities are making significant investments in the autonomous space.

The industry group focuses on advising clients on the development, procurement, investment, patenting, use and licensing of these new technologies. Additionally, Honigman lawyers advise on related activities, such as the creation and development of autonomous vehicle research, development and testing facilities. The firm already has deep experience in the traditional automotive industry, as well as significant knowledge of the technologies used for autonomous vehicles, and the data privacy and cybersecurity concerns that commonly arise.

Honigman’s Autonomous Vehicle industry group includes several attorneys with a combination of work experience, graduate and undergraduate degrees in the sciences or engineering. The team also includes attorneys that are Certified Information Privacy Professionals (CIPP/US), a gold standard certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).