Kathryn Marks

Kathryn Marks represents a variety of clients on legislative and regulatory issues involving privacy and data security. She specializes in domestic data security law, advising clients on response plans to potential data security breaches and compliance with state data security and privacy laws. Kathryn counsels clients on how legislation and regulations will affect their business, and how they can structure new business opportunities to minimize adverse regulatory impact. She also represents clients on high-profile legislative and regulatory issues, including Internet gambling, anti-money laundering and payment systems matters. Kathryn is also a contributing editor to the Electronic Banking Law & Commerce Report, writing a monthly column on federal legislative developments affecting electronic commerce. Prior to joining Alston & Bird, Kathryn was counsel to former U.S. Senator and Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards (D-NC) for five years, most recently as legislative director and point person for the direction and implementation of the Senator’s key policy initiatives. In this role, Kathryn principally advised Senator Edwards on financial services, commerce and homeland security issues in Congress. Kathryn initially served Senator Edwards as his legislative assistant for banking and financial services, advising the Senator on bankruptcy reform legislation, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and privacy issues. Kathryn was also assistant director in the government relations office at the American Bankers Association (ABA) from 1998 to 1999. In this capacity, Kathryn developed grassroots lobbying strategies on major financial services issues, authored a daily newsletter for industry lobbyists, monitored legislative developments and provided substantive analyses of key pieces of legislation of interest to the ABA’s members. Kathryn received her J.D. in 2000 from the American University Washington College of Law, where she served on the The American University Law Review, and obtained her B.S. in economics from Guilford College in 1993.