Former cybercrimes prosecutor joins Manatt in San Diego

Kareem A. Salem, a former cybercrimes prosecutor, has joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP in San Diego.

Salem will be reunited with his former boss, Randy S. Grossman, the former U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of California and the head of Manatt's San Diego office.

Randy S. Grossman

"Manatt and the team that we have here made it a very easy decision to leave government service and join a truly unique and really well-positioned firm. It is clear that this firm is uniquely equipped to handle complex legal issues, complex business issues, and complex technology issues that our clients face today," Salem said.

Grossman said Salem is "an exceptional trial lawyer with sophisticated experience leading high-profile national security and cybersecurity matters in private practice and as a federal prosecutor."

"He is a wonderful addition to our elite team of litigation and data privacy professionals and will be instrumental in advising Manatt's clients on their most significant matters in Southern California and across the country," Grossman said.

Salem began his career in 2014 as a deputy district attorney in San Diego County. In 2018, he joined the U.S. attorney's office where he rapidly rose through the ranks to become deputy chief of general crimes division. He oversaw large cyber investigations and prosecutions for the National Security and Cybercrimes Section at the U.S. attorney's office. Last year, he joined Baker & Hostetler LLP briefly before rejoining Grossman at Manatt. He said he was excited to dive into the issues facing the firm's clients.

Donna L. Wilson

"In today's digital world, addressing data, privacy and cybersecurity issues are among the top priorities for companies across the nation, especially in San Diego, with its large presence of life sciences, health care and technology entities," Salem said. "Many companies are facing an increase in data security incidents, state and federal regulatory investigations, and data compliance issues. There's also been an increase in civil litigation based on various privacy and consumer-related statutes, especially in California given its significant and comprehensive data privacy laws."

Since joining the firm in November and spearheading the opening of the San Diego office, Grossman has been actively engaged in recruiting and nurturing a strong client base. He said that the firm's white-collar practice group will be closely examining the implications of AI and how best to serve their clients considering the advancements in technology.

"AI is a key focus for the Department of Justice. The deputy attorney general confirmed as much during a speech at the Annual ABA White Collar Institute in San Francisco, where she explained the department's expectation regarding the responsible use of AI," Grossman explained. "That approach by the department certainly creates opportunity for firms like Manatt who have deep experience advising clients on highly complex technologies and the related compliance programs necessary to manage associated risk."

Manatt CEO Donna L. Wilson noted the firm's privacy and data security practice group spans the nation. She echoed Grossman's outlook saying, "We have wonderful professionals who handle not just proactive compliance and assessment, but also incident response, consulting, litigation and government enforcement."

"We, unlike a lot of firms, don't see ourselves as full service for everything," Wilson said. "We know the industries in which we excel and provide a wide range of sophisticated legal and business consulting offerings to clients within those sectors. The industries we focus on are those that are likely the most heavily impacted by privacy and cybersecurity issues and national security concerns, such as financial services, health care, life sciences, media and entertainment, energy, environmental and real estate, and digital technology."

"What we're really excited about is that Randy and Kareem are not just adding to our footprint in San Diego, but they're deepening our national trial-ready bench across the country as part of our litigation powerhouse team," Wilson continued.