CBA Record March-April 2025

THE YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

own values, who you are, and how your values would align with those opportuni ties. Only say “yes” when you are excited, challenged, or—ideally—both. Every time I said “yes” to an exciting and challenging opportunity, I made sure it aligned with my values. Over time, as I learned more about the corporate and business worlds, I realized these values consistently pulled me toward the com pliance and privacy areas of the business. In leveraging CLEs and other educational opportunities, I was able to learn more about privacy and compliance and gain certifications demonstrating my knowl edge. My legal education provided the evidence of having the skills necessary to succeed. Although you do not need a JD to be successful in compliance and privacy, having one does open doors that might otherwise stay closed, because a legal edu cation trains you to interpret regulations critically, ask the right questions, and understand the broader legal and regula tory contexts in which you are working. A transition away from the private practice of law may feel daunting. Yet, the skills you have developed—such as managing client expectations, solving complex problems, balancing competing priorities and issues, and meeting tight deadlines—transfer seamlessly to privacy and compliance roles. The working pro cesses are similar, requiring management of internal stakeholder expectations, tack ling complex legal and regulatory require ments jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and providing good guidance within quick timeframes. Foundational law school skills such as outlining, breaking issues into key elements, and writing clearly are directly transferable and train you in the rigor required in final work product in the compliance and privacy spaces.

Compliance & Privacy Officer By John Tao W hile private practice once dom inated as the default career trajectory, alternative paths are becoming the norm and are often of interest to many new legal graduates or young legal professionals. No matter where you are in your career, a JD opens doors to diverse professional opportuni ties far beyond the traditional path of private practice. Areas such as compli ance and privacy offer a chance to make a meaningful impact while staying at the forefront of evolving laws and technolo gies. These areas allow for fulfilling and interesting challenges to those who want to leverage their legal education in inno vative ways. As a privacy and compliance leader, I can confidently say having a law degree has been instrumental in shaping and accelerating my career, opening doors to opportunities I might never have encountered. I have enjoyed an infinitely interesting journey, working on con tracts, regulatory filings, corporate finan cial policies and procedures, Medicaid, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, Health Insur ance Portability and Accountability Act, and global privacy issues—all within just

over a decade of passing the bar exam. Compliance and privacy have also led me to all kinds of industries—health care, manufacturing, nonprofits, and private equity—because of how cross-applicable the knowledge and skills are for compli ance and privacy. When asked how these different experiences and industries fit together, I love sharing that my focus has always been about three things: (1) devel oping transferable skills; (2) staying true to my personal values; and (3) saying “yes” to exciting and challenging opportunities. Often, the most rewarding opportu nities are both exciting and challenging. Today’s job market requires flexibility, adaptability, and resilience. Because of this, I have found it imperative to focus on transferable skills and to stick with personal values. In this rapidly evolving world, careers can take unpredictable turns. Political transitions, global socio economic shifts, and emerging technolo gies such as AI are reshaping industries and creating new opportunities. Amid this uncertainty, the key is to make your work meaningful to you. As you consider different career possibilities, and which opportunities to follow, consider your

John Tao is the Director of Global Privacy Compliance at Tenneco, Inc. where he focuses on privacy contracts, global regulatory oversight, and privacy compliance implementation.

28 March/April 2025