Penn State Law Review annual symposium to explore legal impact of “Big Data”

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Registration is now open for Penn State Law Review’s annual symposium. This year’s event, “The Big Data Revolution and Its Impact on the Law,” will bring together top scholars and legal professionals from Penn State and across the country to explore the legal impact of third-party access to personal data, including implications on national security, insurance, and bankruptcy.

The symposium takes place Friday, March 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the K&L Gates Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and will be live-streamed to the Lewis Katz Building in University Park. This event is free and open to the public; please register online.

Attendees will be eligible to receive up to 2.5 CLE substantive credits and 1 ethics credit for free.

“It is nearly impossible today to do anything without leaving behind a digital footprint,” said Stormie Mauck, Penn State Law Review editor-in-chief and current 3L at Penn State Law in University Park. “Our speakers will address a wide variety of ways that the law is adapting to address the concerns created by how data is being collected and used by different entities.”

Invited experts from Penn State, DePaul University, Michigan State University, and K&L Gates law firm will present on the topic of big data from a variety of legal fields and perspectives, providing in-depth and multifaceted analysis of this timely subject.

“We have a dynamic mix of scholars and practitioners who are going to speak regarding the wide variety of ways in which big data is changing the law and the way people live,” said Christopher French, professor of practice at Penn State Law and former partner at K&L Gates LLP. French will moderate a panel discussion among the symposium’s guest speakers. 

The symposium’s esteemed guests and presenters include:

• Hari Osofsky, dean of Penn State Law and the School of International Affairs
• David Parker, of counsel at K&L Gates, Raleigh, North Carolina
• Anne Toomey McKenna, distinguished scholar of cyberlaw and policy at Penn State’s Dickinson Law, and associate and professor of practice at the Penn State Institute for CyberScience
• Amy C. Gaudion, professor of law at Penn State’s Dickinson Law
• Jenni L. Evans, director of the Penn State Institute for CyberScience
• Max Helveston, associate dean of academic affairs and strategic initiatives and associate professor at DePaul University College of Law
• James Chen, professor of law at Michigan State University College of Law
• Christopher French, professor of practice at Penn State Law

Presentations include:

• “Compromise and Barter: Examining Privacy and Informed Consent for Research in the Age of Big Data,” presented by David Parker and his associates, Steven Pine and Zachary Ernst.
• “The Role of Satellites and Our Smart Devices: Data Surprises,” presented by Anne Toomey McKenna, Amy Gaudion, and Jenni Evans. 
• “Consumer Data Protection Laws: The Solution for Concerns About Insurers’ Big Data Abuse?” presented by Max Helveston.
• “Models for Predicting Business Bankruptcies and Their Application to Banking and to Financial Regulation,” presented by James Chen.
• “For sale: The Window to the Soul – Eye Tracking as an Impetus for Federal Protection of Biometric Data,” presented by Ian Logan, Penn State Law Review’s executive comments editor and current 3L at Penn State Law.
• “A Discussion of the ABA’s Formal Opinion Regarding the Ethical Duties of Law Firms in the Face of Cyberhacking,” presented by Anne Toomey McKenna.

Following the presentations, each speaker will participate in a panel moderated by Christopher French.

Visit the event page online for more information and to register.