Chief Information Security Officer

DLA Piper is, at its core, bold, exceptional, collaborative and supportive. Our people are the backbone, heart and soul of our firm. Wherever you are in your professional journey, DLA Piper is a place you can engage in meaningful work and grow your career. Let’s see what we can achieve. Together.

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), working in collaboration with and in support of the firm’s strategic initiatives, is a senior executive responsible for protecting DLA Piper’s clients, people, data, reputation, and global business operations by leading a mature, business-aligned information security and cyber risk program. This role sets the strategic direction for the firm’s Information Security Management System, security governance, risk management, incident response, third-party security, data protection, and security awareness programs.

Operating as a trusted advisor to firm leadership, the Office of General Counsel, Information Technology, Information Governance, Risk Management, practice leadership, and global counterparts, the CISO ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of client and firm information while enabling innovation, responsible AI adoption, operational resilience, and exceptional client service. The CISO works closely with, but independently from, the Information Technology function to provide objective risk oversight, policy leadership, executive reporting, and continuous improvement of the firm’s security posture.

This position can sit in our Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Miami, New York, Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Short Hills, Washington D.C., or Wilmington office. Candidates must reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned office and be available for periodic travel.

• Sets and executes the enterprise information security strategy for DLA Piper, aligning cyber risk management with firm strategy, client obligations, professional responsibility requirements, regulatory expectations, and operational resilience objectives.
• Sets and executes the enterprise information security strategy for DLA Piper, aligning cyber risk management with firm strategy, client obligations, professional responsibility requirements, regulatory expectations, and operational resilience objectives.
• Leads the firm’s Information Security Management System and security governance framework, including policy development, risk assessment, control monitoring, executive reporting, audit readiness, certification support, and continuous improvement.
• Serves as the senior incident response leader for information security events, ensuring prompt triage, containment, investigation, evidence preservation, root-cause analysis, remediation, lessons learned, and appropriate coordination with the Office of General Counsel, firm leadership, insurers, regulators, law enforcement, vendors, and affected clients when required.
• Partners with executive leadership, Information Technology, AI Innovation, AI Governance, Information Governance, Risk Management, Privacy, Procurement, Finance, Human Resources, practice leaders, and global counterparts to embed security-by-design into firm operations, technology investments, client service delivery, and major transformation initiatives.
• Provides objective cyber risk advice to firm leadership and governance bodies, translating complex technical risk into clear business, legal, reputational, operational, and client-impact terms that enable timely and informed decision‑making.
• Oversees enterprise cyber risk identification, assessment, treatment, acceptance, and reporting, including vulnerabilities, threat intelligence, identity and access risk, cloud and infrastructure security, application security, data loss prevention, endpoint protection, email security, ransomware preparedness, and business continuity dependencies.
• Leads security oversight of client and firm confidential information, including data classification, access controls, encryption, retention, secure disposal, cross‑border data considerations, ethical walls, client outside counsel guidelines, and matter‑specific security obligations.
• Directs…