Kayleigh Watson is an Associate at Mullen Coughlin, concentrating her practice on data privacy and security incident response and related privacy litigation. As a Breach Coach for organizations who have been the victim of a data privacy and security incident, she works, in collaboration with third-party forensic investigation firms and law enforcement, to determine the nature and scope of the incident and counsels on any legal or regulatory obligations which result under state, federal and international law or by contractual duty. Following the containment of the incident and the determination of legal and/or regulatory obligations, Kayleigh counsels the victim organization to ensure legally compliant notification to affected individuals and other third parties, as well as any state, federal or industry-related regulatory follow-up inquires stemming from the incident. This includes inquiries from state Attorney Generals’ offices; state departments of health, financial services and insurance; and federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR).
Kayleigh has counseled businesses across multiple industry groups, including healthcare and life sciences; financial services; retail/e-Commerce; hospitality and entertainment; education; non-profit; and professional services. Her extensive knowledge regarding state, federal and international law allows her to assist her clients in meeting their legal responsibilities in a timely and consistent fashion.
Kayleigh also represents organizations in complex and diverse litigation and is a member of Mullen Coughlin’s Privacy Litigation practice group. Her experience in handling complex litigation, including single-plaintiff and class action litigation stemming from data privacy or security incidents, has prepared her to successfully litigate matters within the designated timeframe and budget, oftentimes providing innovative legal strategies to negotiate disputes with minimal disruption to the organization’s business and reputation. These cases regularly include claims for violations of various consumer protection statutes, fraud, invasion of privacy, negligence and breach of contract.
Prior to joining Mullen Coughlin, Kayleigh practiced insurance defense litigation at a national law firm based in Dallas. There, she gained valuable experience working with expert witnesses; handling investigation and discovery; and preparing for, and engaging in, contested motion practice, oral argument, mediation, arbitration and trial defending organizations, in which she brings with her in both her incident response and privacy litigation practices.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS & PRESENTATIONS
- “Data Privacy Update and Enforcement Trends,” Dallas Bar Association, Virtual, January 22, 2024
- “Responding to a Cyber Incident,” Dallas Bar Association, Dallas, TX, April 24, 2023
AWARDS & HONORS
- Texas Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2023)