Joshua P. Galper

Co-Founder and Partner

Joshua P. Galper is co-founder and partner of the public relations firm Trident DMG and the law firm Galper & Goldberg. Josh has more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of communications, public policy, law, and business, including at premier global law firms and as general counsel for a high-profile tech company.

Josh advises clients on matters at the nexus of law, public policy and regulation, and the media. His counsel and advocacy focus on: crisis management; regulatory, congressional, state attorneys general, and other government investigations; litigation and disputes; public policy issues, government relations and public affairs; reputation management and strategic communications to support legal objectives. He also provides counsel on a range of issues, including data, privacy and cybersecurity, and areas in which regulation can pose threats to and opportunities for innovation. His clients have included U.S. and international companies, start-ups, high net-worth individuals and families, educational institutions, hedge funds, venture capital and private equity firms, public figures and officeholders, state and local governments, non-profits, and Indian tribes. Matters he has worked on over his career span numerous and wide-ranging sectors and issues including financial services and investment, health (tech, devices, biotech, and pharmaceutical), product liability, entertainment and sports, privacy and cybersecurity, internet and technology, education, hospitality, retail, real estate development, transportation, automotive, and telecommunications.

Throughout Josh’s career in politics, private practice, and in-house, Josh has played the role of strategist and counselor to numerous companies, C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, investors, board directors, and national political figures.

Previously, Josh served from 2011 until 2016 as the Chief Policy Officer, General Counsel, Head of Communications, SVP-Business Development, and Corporate Secretary of the venture-backed tech company Personal.com, which in 2017 merged with Digi.me and spun out TeamData.com. As a senior member of the company’s management team, Josh helped drive the company’s strategy and growth in all areas and co-led the privacy and security teams.

From 2003-2011, Josh helped to build and later co-chaired the Public Strategies and Crisis Management Practice at Patton Boggs and then at Orrick, where he became a partner in 2008. Josh began his legal career at Sidley Austin in Washington, D.C. in 2000 as one of the first lawyers in the firm’s global privacy and cyber-security law group.

Josh’s extensive political background informs his approach to the interplay of law, public policy and communications. He has worked for former U.S. Senator David Boren in Washington, former Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley on his presidential campaign, Rahm Emanuel on his first congressional primary race, and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich on his Massachusetts governor’s race, among others. He also served on the speech-writing teams of the Democratic National Conventions that nominated John Kerry (2004) and Barack Obama (2008) as a writer, editor and presentation coach for podium speakers. Earlier in his career, Josh also served as the first Press Secretary of the University of Oklahoma under then-President David Boren.

From 2014-2017, Josh was appointed by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to serve on DHS’s Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee, which advises DHS on technology, policies and programs. Josh has also been named a “Privacy by Design” ambassador and has been active in data,  privacy and data-driven development initiatives at the World Economic Forum and Aspen Institute.

In 2015, Josh was named a top corporate legal counsel in Washington, D.C. by Legal Bisnow and the Association of Corporate Counsel-National Capital Region as well as a National Law Journal Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Trailblazer. He has served as an expert mentor at tech incubators and on the ALM Advisory Board on Cybersecurity and Data Privacy. Josh also taught as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center a semester-long course on legal crisis management in 2008 and 2010, and has been a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Josh is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.

 

Select Speaking Engagements:

“Darkness Descends: The General Counsel’s Role in Business Continuity Management,” Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute’s 2nd Annual Corporate Counsel Leadership Forum, panelist, November 16, 2016.

“A Practical Approach to Data Privacy,” Columbia Law School Executive Education Conference (Cybersecurity: What Lawyers and Business Leaders Need to Know, lecturer), October 28, 2016.

“Business and the Next Administration,” American University’s Kogod School of Business, commenter, July 28, 2016.

“Working in the Public Interest – Doing Good from 9 to 5”, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, panelist, July 6, 2016.

“12th Annual Progressive Career Panel,” American Constitution Society Washington, D.C. Lawyer Chapter, moderator, November 19, 2015.

National Law Journal GC Roundtable, panelist, October 21, 2015.

“The Internet on Your Terms,” International Association of Privacy Professionals Privacy Security Risk 2015 Conference, panelist, October 1, 2015.

“Starting at a Start-Up: What Lawyers Need to Know and Do,” Association of Corporate Counsel-National Capital Region, panelist, April 24, 2015.

“Reflections on the 2014 Elections,” Oldest College Daily/Yale Daily News Foundation event at the Washington Post, moderator, November 18, 2014.

“11th Annual Progressive Career Panel,” American Constitution Society Washington, D.C. Lawyer Chapter, moderator, November 6, 2014.

“Community College-Powered Innovation: How Lone Star College-University Park, Personal.com, and the Gates Foundation are Working Together to Personalize Student Learning and Career Journeys,” American Association of Community Colleges 94thAnnual Convention, co-presenter, April 7, 2014.

“Planning our Data Future: Privacy and Innovation in the 21st Century,” Disruptive Competition Project (DisCo)/Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), Disruptive Competition Policy Forum, panelist, December 10, 2013.

“Privacy Regulation 2013,” The 2013 National Law Journal Regulatory Summit, panelist, November 13, 2013.

“Big Data, Apps and Analytics,” Information Management Week, U.S. Department of Education, panelist, May 6, 2013.