Whitney Lee is an associate in the firm’s Privacy + Data Security and Crisis Management practice groups. She is based in the firm’s Washington D.C. office.
Whitney’s practice focuses on advising clients on significant cybersecurity incidents and other sensitive matters relating to U.S. domestic and international cybercrime, national security, risk, and crisis management, including matters that involve multijurisdictional investigations, congressional oversight, and significant media attention. Whitney has substantial experience managing third-party forensic and internal investigations, e-discovery efforts, and communications with relevant regulatory agencies and impacted stakeholders.
She has successfully defended clients in numerous regulatory inquiries regarding data security practices, including investigations by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state attorneys general, and international regulators following data security incidents. Whitney also has considerable experience advising clients on the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
In 2024, Whitney was named to Law 360’s 2024 Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Board. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, Whitney was named to the National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 List. In 2023, Whitney received the American Bar Association’s “On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers Award.” In 2021, Whitney was featured in Bloomberg Law’s They’ve Got Next series as a Rising Star in the area of Privacy and Cybersecurity.
Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Whitney was an associate in the cybersecurity and privacy group of another international law firm. She is also the founder of CYREIN, a pro bono consulting service founded to address the rise of cyberstalking and cyber-harassment.
During law school, Whitney worked at the New York State Office of the Attorney General in the Public Integrity Bureau, which handles complex investigations into government corruption, fraud, and abuses of authority, and before law school she worked at the Center for American Progress as a member of its national security and international policy team.
Whitney holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, an LL.M. in international criminal law with a focus on cybercrime from the University of Amsterdam, where she was an Amsterdam Merit Scholar, and a B.A. in government from Harvard University. Whitney is proficient in French.
Selected as a Rising Star: Privacy and Cybersecurity
Bloomberg Law "They’ve Got Next" 2021
Named to Top 40 Under 40 List
National Black Lawyers 2022 - 2024
Selected as a Top 40 Young Lawyer Awardee
American Bar Association "On the Rise" 2023