Biography • Internet & e-Commerce

Edward R McNicholas is a partner in Sidley's Washington, DC, office and a global coordinator of its privacy, data security, and information law practice. His practice focuses on clients facing complex information technology, constitutional and privacy issues in civil and white-collar criminal matters. Mr McNicholas concentrates his practice on trial and appellate representations of technologically sophisticated clients including telecommunications carriers, electronic service providers, financial services companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and other companies facing complex personal information issues. He is also an experienced counselor, public policy advocate and internal investigator.

Mr McNicholas has significant experience with a wide-range of cutting-edge internet and information law matters involving privacy and data protection, electronic surveillance, information security, cloud computing, trade secrets, social media, locational privacy, e-commerce, copyright, defamation, online brand protection, e-discovery, and national security.

Mr McNicholas previously served as an associate counsel to President Clinton. In that capacity, he advised senior White House staff regarding various independent counsel, congressional and grand jury investigations, with a particular focus on issues of executive privilege and electronic discovery.

Many of his articles on privacy, data security, and civil liberties information law issues are collected at www.sidley.com/infolaw.

Mr McNicholas received his JD (cum laude, Harvard Law Review editor) from Harvard Law School in 1996 and his AB (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Princeton University in 1991. He clerked for the honorable Paul Niemeyer on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Mr McNicholas is admitted in the District of Columbia and Maryland.