For LLM Student, Cybersecurity Program a Way to Translate Tech Skills
As a foreign-trained attorney intent on litigating technology cases in the U.S., Bruno Genovese saw Loyola’s LLM Specialization in Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Law as the perfect fit.
In 1990, Genovese took his oath to the bar in France, where he spent a decade working on tax, technology and litigation matters. Over time, his focus shifted to technology. In the U.S., he worked in the e-discovery and litigation support departments of major law firms, registering with the California State Bar as a foreign legal consultant. He also operated a technology incubator business in Los Angeles with his law firm in Europe. But he wanted more.
“It’s a shame as a lawyer to just be the technology guy at major U.S. law firms,” said Genovese, who earned the European equivalent of an LLM in data privacy from the University of Strasbourg, magna cum laude.
Genovese was attracted to Loyola because of its roster of professors who practice in the field. Their teaching is “more practical, more thorough and more fun” than what he experienced in Europe, he said. “It’s thrilling.”
Genovese’s introductory class on Internet Law was taught by two highly experienced professors: Professor Karl Manheim, who served as intellectual property advisor to U.S. Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), and David Steele, a partner at a national law firm. “It’s the first class I ever took with two professors on the stage,” he said.
To help translate his European litigation experience to American courtrooms, Genovese has accessed a wealth of Loyola offerings. He is enrolled in a Trial Advocacy course taught by Adjunct Professor Kimberly Morgan-Greene, a Los Angeles County deputy public defender. He also observed and volunteered during a National Institute of Trial Advocacy continuing-education event hosted at Loyola.
When he graduates this spring, Genovese will be well-positioned to work on matters involving what he sees as the burgeoning tensions between the U.S. and European views of privacy and cybersecurity.
“I’ll be able to take advantage of that,” he said. “There are not so many people in the U.S. who know and practiced law on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.”