Sara Hubaishi
Associate
21st Floor
Chicago, IL 60606
Sara guides organizations through their data privacy and security incident response obligations under U.S. state and federal law, regulatory requirements, and contractual commitments with third parties. She collaborates closely with key vendors in the incident response industry to determine the scope and scale of an incident, verify containment, and support the organization in mitigating its...
Sara guides organizations through their data privacy and security incident response obligations under U.S. state and federal law, regulatory requirements, and contractual commitments with third parties. She collaborates closely with key vendors in the incident response industry to determine the scope and scale of an incident, verify containment, and support the organization in mitigating its operational, financial, and reputational risks.
Sara’s experience covers the spectrum of data incidents, from system-wide network intrusions and ransomware attacks to cyber extortion, fraudulent wire transfers, e-mail account compromises, stolen computers, and employee misconduct. Sara serves a broad range of private- and public-sector clients in multiple industry verticals, including banking and financial services, health care, not-for-profit and for-profit education, e-commerce, technology, retail, manufacturing, state and local government, accounting, legal, and other professional services.
Sara is highly knowledgeable of and counsels clients on compliance with the wide range of U.S. data privacy and information security laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM Act), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA), the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), and comprehensive state privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). She also advises clients on international data protection requirements, particularly the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
operational, financial, and reputational risks.
Sara’s experience covers the spectrum of data incidents, from system-wide network intrusions and ransomware attacks to cyber extortion, fraudulent wire transfers, e-mail account compromises, stolen computers, and employee misconduct. Sara serves a broad range of private- and public-sector clients in multiple industry verticals, including banking and financial services, health care, not-for-profit and for-profit education, e-commerce, technology, retail, manufacturing, state and local government, accounting, legal, and other professional services.
Sara is highly knowledgeable of and counsels clients on compliance with the wide range of U.S. data privacy and information security laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM Act), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA), the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), and comprehensive state privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). She also advises clients on international data protection requirements, particularly the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Experience
Previous Professional Experience
- Cybersecurity & data privacy law firm, Associate (2024–2025)
- National law firm, Associate (2022–2023); Summer Associate (May 2021–June 2021)
- CAIR-Chicago, Civil Rights Intern (2021–2022)
- Smithsonian Institute, Office of General Counsel, Extern (2021)
Representative Matters
- Counseled major health system through response to a ransomware event impacting over 5 million patients.
- Advised financial institution targeted by ransomware and extortion attack, impacting sensitive information for tens of thousands of individuals.
- Conducted privacy and risk management audits for numerous global manufacturers.
Languages
- Somali
- Dutch
- Arabic (conversational)
Education
-
Washington University School of Law,
JD
(2022)
- Executive Editor, Washington University Law Review
- Brenau University, MA, Communication and Media Studies (2019)
- Brenau University, BA, Liberal Arts (2017)
Admissions
- Illinois
- New York
Previous Professional Experience
- Cybersecurity & data privacy law firm, Associate (2024–2025)
- National law firm, Associate (2022–2023); Summer Associate (May 2021–June 2021)
- CAIR-Chicago, Civil Rights Intern (2021–2022)
- Smithsonian Institute, Office of General Counsel, Extern (2021)
Representative Matters
- Counseled major health system through response to a ransomware event impacting over 5 million patients.
- Advised financial institution targeted by ransomware and extortion attack, impacting sensitive information for tens of thousands of individuals.
- Conducted privacy and risk management audits for numerous global manufacturers.
Languages
- Somali
- Dutch
- Arabic (conversational)
Media
Recognitions
- Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch”: Privacy and Data Security Law (2026)
Professional Activities
- American Bar Association (ABA)
- American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA)
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
Sara guides organizations through their data privacy and security incident response obligations under U.S. state and federal law, regulatory requirements, and contractual commitments with third parties. She collaborates closely with key vendors in the incident response industry to determine the scope and scale of an incident, verify containment, and support the organization in mitigating its... operational, financial, and reputational risks.
Sara’s experience covers the spectrum of data incidents, from system-wide network intrusions and ransomware attacks to cyber extortion, fraudulent wire transfers, e-mail account compromises, stolen computers, and employee misconduct. Sara serves a broad range of private- and public-sector clients in multiple industry verticals, including banking and financial services, health care, not-for-profit and for-profit education, e-commerce, technology, retail, manufacturing, state and local government, accounting, legal, and other professional services.
Sara is highly knowledgeable of and counsels clients on compliance with the wide range of U.S. data privacy and information security laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM Act), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA), the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), and comprehensive state privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). She also advises clients on international data protection requirements, particularly the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Experience
The following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.Previous Professional Experience
- Cybersecurity & data privacy law firm, Associate (2024–2025)
- National law firm, Associate (2022–2023); Summer Associate (May 2021–June 2021)
- CAIR-Chicago, Civil Rights Intern (2021–2022)
- Smithsonian Institute, Office of General Counsel, Extern (2021)
Representative Matters
- Counseled major health system through response to a ransomware event impacting over 5 million patients.
- Advised financial institution targeted by ransomware and extortion attack, impacting sensitive information for tens of thousands of individuals.
- Conducted privacy and risk management audits for numerous global manufacturers.
Languages
- Somali
- Dutch
- Arabic (conversational)
Education
-
Washington University School of Law,
JD
(2022)
- Executive Editor, Washington University Law Review
- Brenau University, MA, Communication and Media Studies (2019)
- Brenau University, BA, Liberal Arts (2017)
Admissions
- Illinois
- New York
Practice Areas
- Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch”: Privacy and Data Security Law (2026)
- American Bar Association (ABA)
- American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA)
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
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