California’s 2026 CCPA Mandate and Beyond: HR Data, AI, and Employer Compliance Risks

Alan holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law (1991) and a B.S. from Georgia State University (1988). He also completed the Executive Program in Management (EPM) at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in 2001. He is admitted to practice in California (1993) and New York (2002), as well as before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Alan is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Alan has been consistently honored by the legal industry's most respected publications and organizations. He is ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA for Nationwide Privacy & Data Security: Adtech (2023–2025) and has been recognized in Chambers USA for Nationwide Advertising: Transactional & Regulatory since 2019. His accolades include being named the 2026 Data Privacy Law Expert of the Year in California by Leaders in Law, a Los Angeles Times Legal Visionary (2022 and 2023), a National Law Journal Trailblazer for Media and Advertising Law (2023), one of the Los Angeles Business Journal's Top 100 Lawyers of Los Angeles (2023), and Privacy Lawyer of the Year (US) by Finance Monthly. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for Advertising Law, Media Law, and Privacy & Data Security Law, and has earned Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer recognition from 2022 through 2026. BTI Consulting Group has named him a Client Service All-Star, an honor reserved for lawyers who deliver the absolute best in client service. Additional distinctions include Legal 500 US recognition, Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, and a Martindale-Avvo Superb Attorney Rating (2026). In a leadership capacity, Alan serves as Chair of The Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel's Law Firm Advisory Board (2023–present) and previously chaired a global technology, media and telecommunications practice at another AmLaw 100 firm.

Alan is deeply engaged in the legal and privacy communities. He serves on the Executive Committee and Board of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Privacy and Cybersecurity Section and is a member of the Law360 Privacy and Consumer Protection Editorial Advisory Board and the Board of Editors for American Lawyer Media's Internet Law and Strategy and Cybersecurity Law & Strategy publications. Within the IAPP, he served as former Chair of the Los Angeles County KnowledgeNet Chapter and founding Chair of the Orange County KnowledgeNet Chapter. His professional affiliations include the American Bar Association (Entertainment, Intellectual Property, and Advertising and Promotions Sections, and the Privacy, Internet, and Computer Industry Subcommittees), the New York Bar Association, the Association of National Advertisers (CCPA Working Group), the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) Supporter's Council, and the Brand Activation Association's Government Affairs Committee. He also serves as an ex officio Board Member of Zocalo Public Square and on the Cybersecurity Advisory Board of California State University – Chico. In academia, Alan is an Assistant Professor and Legal Advisory Board Member at the UCLA School of Film, Television and Digital Media, and an Adjunct Professor at Loyola Marymount University School of Law. He also helps supervise a clinical program at the University of California San Francisco Law (formerly Hastings) that provides pro bono legal services to non-profits and start-ups. A sought-after speaker and prolific author, Alan edits the Privacy and Data Protection chapter of the CCH and Wolters Kluwer Corporate Legal Compliance Handbook and regularly contributes to leading publications including Law360, Thomson Reuters Practical Law, and Data Guidance.

Alan's practice focuses on helping clients address the intersection of law, technology, and consumer protection. He counsels publishers, online services, advertisers, ad tech companies, marketing services providers, data brokers, e-commerce merchants, software and SaaS/PaaS providers, and other data controllers and processors on the full spectrum of privacy, cybersecurity, digital media, and intellectual property matters. In the privacy and data protection arena, Alan defends businesses before the FTC and state Attorneys General, including CCPA enforcement actions brought by the California Attorney General. He has guided hundreds of companies in developing, implementing, and maintaining privacy programs that comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), EU GDPR, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), HIPAA, and other federal and state regulatory requirements. He advises clients on proposed CCPA amendments and ballot measures and regularly files comments with the California Attorney General on rule-making. In advertising, marketing, and digital media, Alan has represented clients in shaping industry self-regulatory frameworks with organizations such as the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), the Network Advertising Alliance, the Association of National Advertisers, and the Digital Advertising Alliance. He advises major media conglomerates on data-driven marketing initiatives, streaming media providers on acquisitions and compliance, and social media platforms on intellectual property and user-generated content issues. His sports and entertainment experience includes negotiating television, film, and digital music distribution agreements; counseling an NFL team on marketing and privacy matters; representing major brands in sponsorships of national pop music tours; and successfully defending a leading influencer agency in an FTC investigation. Alan also advises on emerging issues related to artificial intelligence, targeted advertising, digital transformation, and data commercialization strategies. Alan began shaping law and public policy in digital media as the Sherwood Shafer Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union from 1992 to 1994, where he addressed the benefits and risks of the then-emerging Internet. He has served as general counsel and, before joining Squire Patton Boggs, held several leadership roles at other AmLaw 100 firms, including chairing a global technology, media and telecommunications practice and coordinating a consumer privacy practice.

Participated in US Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force. Board member of United Way of the Bay Area Annual Campaign. Vice chair of board of directors and chair of 75th Anniversary Campaign for Catholic Charities of the East Bay. Provides pro bono assistance to Bay Area nonprofits including Asian Art Museum Foundation. Member of Board of Directors of Squire Patton Boggs Foundation. Board member and Chair of Governance Committee of Give2Asia.

Extensive litigation experience with issues under the National Labor Relations Act, Railway Labor Act, and WARN Act. Represented a national distribution and business service company in multiple class actions, captaining a team in approximately 70 federal district court actions involving wage and hour issues. Advised shopping centers, hotels and schools on First Amendment public access issues. Represented Ohio Turnpike Commission in federal litigation. Advised multinational corporations on executive management reorganization and privacy concerns. Previously served as managing partner for Squire Patton Boggs' NorCal offices.

Sammuel holds a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School (2022) and a Bachelor of Science, earned cum laude, from Fordham University (2019). He is admitted to practice in New York (2022) and the District of Columbia (2023).

Sammuel has been selected to serve on the City Bar Justice Center's Pro Bono Leadership Council for 2025–2026, reflecting both his commitment to access to justice and his standing within the New York legal community. He maintains an active pro bono practice dedicated to serving veterans, small businesses, nonprofits, and other individuals in need of legal assistance.

Sammuel is an engaged member of the data privacy and cybersecurity legal community, regularly contributing his expertise to client advisories, compliance education, and industry discussions at the intersection of privacy, AI, and emerging technology law. His pro bono work through the City Bar Justice Center further reflects a commitment to using his legal skills in service of broader community needs.

Prior to joining Squire Patton Boggs, Sammuel practiced at other international law firms where he advised clients across a broad range of industries on data privacy, cybersecurity, AI, and advertising and marketing law matters, as well as technology, corporate, and commercial transactions. At Squire Patton Boggs, he focuses on helping clients navigate U.S. federal and state privacy laws — developing, evaluating, and enhancing data privacy and compliance programs — and has extensive experience conducting diligence and negotiating transactions in the data privacy, IT, AI, and cybersecurity space. He also counsels clients on cybersecurity risk management, including preparedness activities and incident response planning. Also counsels clients on cybersecurity risk management, including preparedness activities and incident response planning.