Michael Bahar is a litigation attorney in Eversheds Sutherland’s Washington DC office; the global co-head of the firm’s Litigation Group; and the co-lead of the firm’s global Cybersecurity and Data Privacy and Congressional Investigations practices.
Leading a team of over 160 cybersecurity and data privacy lawyers across 35 countries, Michael provides highly-responsive, pragmatic and comprehensive cybersecurity and privacy advice to some of the world’s largest companies. He has particular experience in helping businesses across industries efficiently navigate the rapidly evolving threat, regulatory and litigation environments. His business-focused legal advice is designed to mitigate risk and maximize opportunities, especially for those companies looking to enter new markets, develop or adopt revolutionary technologies and products, monetize data and transfer data across borders.
Drawing from his experiences at the White House, with the US Intelligence Committee, in the military, and as a litigator, Michael offers a wealth of knowledge about data privacy, cybersecurity, surveillance laws, artificial intelligence, next generation technologies and crisis management. In particular, he can help:
- develop and operationalize privacy incident management capabilities, global privacy programs; and globalized data processing agreements
- respond to breaches, conduct privileged investigations, and make multijurisdictional regulatory and individual breach notifications
- respond to regulatory inquiries and defend against regulatory enforcement action
- defend data breach and cryptocurrency class actions
- respond to congressional inquiries and investigations
- develop, adopt and roll out revolutionary technologies like biometrics, artificial intelligence and blockchain
- conduct cyber, privacy and AI due diligence for mergers and acquisitions
- resolve workplace privacy challenges (including remote work issues)
Michael is a frequently published author, and he is often invited to deliver keynote addresses on cyber, privacy, crisis management, high-stakes negotiations, and leadership.
He is also a Captain and Commanding Officer in the US Navy JAG Corps Reserves, and he currently serves as the Commanding Officer of the US Fleet Forces Command Reserve Fleet Judge Advocate Unit. Between 2019 and 2020, he negotiated the release of two hostages in Afghanistan and he served as the lead lawyer for the US team negotiating the peace talks with the Taliban.
While on active duty before coming to Eversheds Sutherland, he litigated felony courts-martial, dealt with cutting-edge legal issues involving the laws of war, led the capture and investigation of the US Navy's first set of apprehended pirates in generations, led a team of lawyers deployed to Afghanistan in support of a Special Operations Task Force and completed two Pentagon tours. He has received three Defense Meritorious Service Medals, one Navy Meritorious Service Medal, one Joint Commendation Medal, six Navy Commendation Medals and one Navy Achievement Medal, in addition to earning his Navy Parachutist Wings.
Prior to Eversheds Sutherland, Michael also served as Deputy Legal Advisor to the National Security Council at the White House, as Minority Staff Director and General Counsel for the US House Intelligence Committee, and as a former Active Duty Navy JAG. While with the House Intelligence Committee, he was lead drafter and negotiator for the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, the USA Freedom Act (which reformed certain key surveillance authorities) and four annual Intelligence Authorization Acts. He also led the Committee's investigation into the Russian hacking of the 2016 election until May 2017.
He is also a Captain and Commanding Officer in the US Navy JAG Corps Reserves, and he currently serves as the Commanding Officer of the US Fleet Forces Command Reserve Fleet Judge Advocate Unit. Between 2019 and 2020, he negotiated the release of two hostages in Afghanistan and he served as the lead lawyer for the US team negotiating the peace talks with the Taliban.
While on active duty before coming to Eversheds Sutherland, he litigated felony courts-martial, dealt with cutting-edge legal issues involving the laws of war, led the capture and investigation of the US Navy's first set of apprehended pirates in generations, led a team of lawyers deployed to Afghanistan in support of a Special Operations Task Force and completed two Pentagon tours. He has received three Defense Meritorious Service Medals, one Navy Meritorious Service Medal, one Joint Commendation Medal, six Navy Commendation Medals and one Navy Achievement Medal, in addition to earning his Navy Parachutist Wings.
Prior to Eversheds Sutherland, Michael also served as Deputy Legal Advisor to the National Security Council at the White House, as Minority Staff Director and General Counsel for the US House Intelligence Committee, and as a former Active Duty Navy JAG. While with the House Intelligence Committee, he was lead drafter and negotiator for the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, the USA Freedom Act (which reformed certain key surveillance authorities) and four annual Intelligence Authorization Acts. He also led the Committee's investigation into the Russian hacking of the 2016 election until May 2017.
Latest News
- Advising a Fortune 50 publicly traded technology company on breach response in over 24 global jurisdictions, including 50 US states, Puerto Rico, the UK and the EU, as well as proactively advising on privacy for the development of advanced new products.
- Provided US privacy advice, including on the CCPA/CPRA, website banners, TCPA and BIPA for a global luxury goods conglomerate.
- Representing a cryptocurrency lending platform in a number of lawsuits, including a putative class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
- Serves as North American and International cybersecurity counsel for a Fortune 50 oil and gas major, which includes providing subject matter expertise in response to the TSA Security Directives on Critical Pipeline Cybersecurity.
- Advising financial services corporations and their boards on the NY Department of Financial Services Cybersecurity Regulation, current and proposed SEC cybersecurity requirements, and global privacy rules.
- Global Tech Week in San Francisco, November 8, 2022
- Johnson Matthey Legal Conference, November 2022
- Cyber Resilience, September 22, 2022, NetNordic Technology University
- Young Patrons Programme, September 21, 2022, British Swedish Chamber of Commerce
- TMT Virtual Sector Day, May 2022
- Simulated Cyber Attack Roundtable, May 2022, ESI Stockholm
- Simulated Cyber Attack Presentation, May 2022, British Swedish Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce
- Cyber, Data Privacy Litigation and Operational Resilience, March 2022, Global Tech Week
- Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Session, March 2022, Industrials Conference
- New & Developing Cybersecurity Challenges, March 2022, Global Counsel Leaders Roundtable
- Cybersecurity: Globalizing Your Internet Response, February 2022, Mondaq Seminar
- Cyber Thieves Are Targeting You – Are You Prepared, February 18, 2021
- Privacy in a Pandemic: Data Protection in the COVID-19 Era, October 1, 2020, ACC Washington Technology Summit
- Never a Dull Moment! The Latest Developments on Schrems II, Brexit, Enforcement and Class Actions in the EU, September 29, 2020, ACC EMEA
- Returning to Brexit: The Next Steps, August 20, 2020
- The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): Litigation Trends and Enforcement Issues, August 6, 2020
- Two Great Men: Lessons From ACC Veterans – Legal Leadership Lessons and What Outside and In-House Counsel Should Know About the Military, June 30, 2020, ACC New Jersey Webinar
- Writing a Global Pandemic Playbook – Crisis Control: Effectively Managing Teams and Protecting Organizations in the Era of COVID-19 Cyber-Attacks and Insider Threats, May 12, 2020, ACC Chicago Webinar
- Beware Hackers and Scammers: Protecting Your Company From Cyber Threats and Ensuring Privacy in the COVID-19 Work From Home Environment, April 29, 2020, ACC New Jersey Town Hall
- Protect Your Company and Your Brand – What COVID-19 Means to Hackers, Scammers and Fraudsters…, April 2, 2020
- Protecting Your Company and Brand: What COVID-19 Means to Hackers, Scammers and Fraudsters, March 26, 2020, Move the Needle Webinar
- What You Need to Know About California’s New Privacy Act, the CCPA, July 10, 2019
- Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Issues in the Diversified Industrial Sector, June 12, 2019
- Data Privacy & Security Impacts in Oil & Gas, April 4, 2019, Microsoft
- Cybersecurity Update: Combating an Evolving Threat, March 27, 2019, SIFMA C&L Annual Seminar
- GDPR Compliance, January 29, 2019, International Taxation Conference
- Choice of Law for Data in the International Context, January 14, 2019, The Sedona Conference Working Group 6 Annual Meeting 2019
- Judiciary and National Security: Attacks on Our Institutions of Democracy: The Role of the Judicial System, November 14, 2018, U.S. Court of Federal Claims 29th Judicial Conference
- Data, Privacy and Cybersecurity – A Primer for Financial Services Legal and Compliance Professionals, November 12, 2018, Practising Law Institute
- Webcast: What US Companies Need to Know About the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) – Are You Ready, October 24, 2018
- Webcast: Cybersecurity Considerations for Electric Cooperatives, September 25, 2018
- Webcast: The One-Two Punch: Cybersecurity Breaches and the Risks to Fiduciaries Under ERISA, September 11, 2018
- Fact or Fiction: Blockchain Technology in the Financial Services Industry, June 27, 2018
- An Electric Cooperative Bar Association (ECBA) Webcast: An Intro to GDPR – How the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation May Impact Electric Cooperatives, Presented by Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP, June 13, 2018
- 2018 Cybersecurity Law Institute, May 23-24, 2018, Georgetown University Law Center
- Webcast–New York State DFS Cybersecurity Regulation: Are You Ready for the Next Round of Requirements, May 17, 2018
- Cybersecurity: Using Identity to Address Insider Threats, May 1, 2018, connect: ID
- The Future of Privacy and Information, April 9, 2018, Dublin Data Sec 2018
- Recognized by Chambers Global: World’s Leading Lawyers in the area of privacy and data security (2025-2026)
- Recognized by Chambers USA: Guide to Leading Business Lawyers in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy (2024-2025)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the areas of media, technology and telecoms: cyber law (2022-2025), finance: fintech (2022-2025) and technology: outsourcing (2018)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 United States as a “Leading Lawyer” in media, technology and telecoms: cyber law (2023-2024) and as a “Leading Partner” in media, technology and telecoms: cyber law (2025)
- Recognized as a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (2022-2023), an independent, client-driven recognition
- Eversheds Sutherland’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy team is recognized by Chambers USA (2021) and Chambers Global (2022) in the area of privacy and data security
- Top Ranked Chambers USA 2021 Eversheds Sutherland (US)
- Named to The Best Lawyers in America in the area of privacy and data security law (2019-2021)
- Recognized by the National Law Journal as a Cybersecurity Trailblazer (2017)
- TS/SCI Clearance
- Captain, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, US Navy Reserves
- Visiting Fellow, National Security Institute, George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School
- Member, Board of Trustees, Shakespeare Theatre Company
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Supreme Court of New York
- Court of Appeals of District of Columbia
- LL.M., Columbia University School of Law
- J.D., Harvard Law School
- B.A., Yale University
- M.Phil., Cambridge University