Mari S. Clifford - Coblentz Law

Details

P 415.268.0504

F 415.989.1663

mclifford@coblentzlaw.com

Education

J.D.

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (2017)
B.A., with honors,

Wesleyan University (2012)

Practices

Litigation

Employment

White Collar Defense & Investigations

Data Privacy & Cybersecurity

Mari Clifford focuses on data privacy and cybersecurity law, white collar defense, and all manners of civil litigation with an emphasis on financial and commercial disputes. She advises a wide range of clients on data privacy and cybersecurity issues, including in connection with regulatory compliance for international, federal, and state privacy laws, including the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), as well as other U.S. federal and state laws. She also advises companies on data privacy implications of business transactions, assists companies in responding to data breaches, guides clients through their use of Artificial Intelligence, and counsels clients accused of violating data privacy laws.

Mari’s experience with white collar defense spans more than seven years. She represents clients in cases brought by federal and state criminal authorities and government enforcement agencies. She also counsels and defends clients in securities, corporate governance, and other complex business and civil matters involving shareholders, consumers, and competitors.

Mari’s practice also includes complex civil litigation in federal and state court at the trial level. She has broad experience in a wide range of commercial litigation, including general business disputes. Mari welcomes challenging cases that require creative solutions and draw upon her significant knowledge of litigation as a process.

Prior to joining Coblentz, Mari clerked with Northern District of California Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson and was an associate in the white collar and fraud practice group at Hogan Lovells. From 2012 to 2014 she worked at the Department of Justice in the Criminal Division Fraud Section.

Mari is dedicated to serving her community. During law school, she served as a student advocate for the East Bay Community Law Center and a law clerk for the UC Berkeley International Human Rights Law Clinic. She also worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, helping nations draft domestic policies to combat human trafficking.

Mari earned her J.D. with Honors from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law where she was Editor in Chief of the Berkeley Journal of International Law. She received her B.A. in Government (International Relations) and Art History (European Art and Architecture), with Honors, from Wesleyan University.

She speaks Armenian and Russian fluently.

“Plaintiffs Continue Website Privacy Lawsuits Using 35-Year-Old Statute” (October 17, 2023)

“Companies Should Keep in Mind Chatbots, Session Recordings, Mouseclicks: New Consumer Privacy Suits Continue Under Decades-Old Wiretapping Statutes” (October 17, 2023)

“Attorney General Seeks Information from California Employers on Compliance with California Consumer Privacy Act” (July 17, 2023)

“Enforcement of CPRA Regulations Postponed, But Statute Still in Effect and Enforceable” (July 12, 2023)

“Webinar: Preparing for CPRA Enforcement and Other Privacy Law Developments” (June 6, 2023)

“Spring / Summer 2023 Privacy Law Report: A Comprehensive Look at New Developments in Data Privacy Laws” (May 26, 2023)

“Webinar: Preparing Your Business for the California Privacy Rights Act” (January 19, 2022)

“Spring 2021 Privacy Law Update: CCPA, CPRA, State Laws and Recent Court Decisions” (May 7, 2021)