Michael Bahar

Practice Areas

Partner Michael Bahar is a litigation attorney in Eversheds Sutherlands Washington DC office; and the co-lead of the firm’s global Cybersecurity and Data Privacy practice as well as co-lead of the firm’s congressional investigations practice.

Leading a team of over 160 cybersecurity and data privacy lawyers across 35 countries, Michael provides highly-responsive, pragmatic and comprehensive cybersecurity and privacy advice to some of the world’s largest companies. He has particular experience in helping businesses across industries efficiently navigate the rapidly evolving threat, regulatory and litigation environments. His business-focused legal advice is designed to mitigate risk and maximize opportunities, especially for those companies looking to enter new markets, develop or adopt revolutionary technologies and products, monetize data and transfer data across borders.

Drawing from his experiences at the White House, with the US Intelligence Committee, in the military, and as a litigator, Michael offers a wealth of knowledge about data privacy, cybersecurity, surveillance laws, artificial intelligence, next generation technologies and crisis management. In particular, he can help:

• develop and operationalize privacy incident management capabilities, global privacy programs; and globalized data processing agreements

• respond to breaches, conduct privileged investigations, and make multijurisdictional regulatory and individual breach notifications

• respond to regulatory inquiries and defend against regulatory enforcement action

• defend data breach and cryptocurrency class actions

• respond to congressional inquiries and investigations

• develop, adopt and roll out revolutionary technologies like biometrics, artificial intelligence and blockchain

• conduct cyber, privacy and AI due diligence for mergers and acquisitions

• resolve workplace privacy challenges (including remote work issues)

Michael is a frequently published author, and he is often invited to deliver keynote addresses on cyber, privacy, crisis management, high-stakes negotiations, and leadership.

He is also a Captain and Commanding Officer in the US Navy JAG Corps Reserves, and he currently serves as the Commanding Officer of the Navy Reserve Unit for the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies (DIILS). With DIILS, he regularly advises foreign militaries on cyber law. In 2019, he negotiated the release of two hostages in Afghanistan in 2019, and he served as the lead lawyer for the US team negotiating the peace talks with the Taliban between August 2019 and March 2020.

While on active duty before coming to Eversheds Sutherland, he litigated felony courts-martial, dealt with cutting-edge legal issues involving the laws of war, led the capture and investigation of the US Navyʼs first set of apprehended pirates in generations, led a team of lawyers deployed to Afghanistan in support of a Special Operations Task Force and completed two Pentagon tours. He has received two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, one Navy Meritorious Service Medal, six Navy Commendation Medals and one Navy Achievement Medal, in addition to earning his Navy Parachutist Wings.

Prior to Eversheds Sutherland, Michael also served as Deputy Legal Advisor to the National Security Council at the White House, as Minority Staff Director and General Counsel for the US House Intelligence Committee, and as a former Active Duty Navy JAG. While with the House Intelligence Committee, he was lead drafter and negotiator for the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, the USA Freedom Act (which reformed certain key surveillance authorities) and four annual Intelligence Authorization Acts. He also led the Committeeʼs investigation into the Russian hacking of the 2016 election until May 2017.