Steve Schultze advises clients on a range of issues related to privacy, consumer protection, and cybersecurity. He counsels in the context of regulatory compliance, government investigations, transactions, go-to-market strategy, and litigation. He also regularly advises clients on discovery strategy, ESI protocols, and the use of AI.

Steve guides clients through the complexities of state, federal, and international laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). He helps clients to develop robust privacy and security policies, and to respond to government investigations and other inquiries. 

He also advises clients on emerging issues in discovery as AI reshapes the business ecosystem and best practices. His recent publications in this area address the defensibility of using AI for document review, privilege in the context of these new tools, and better practices for collecting, processing, reviewing, and producing corporate messaging data such as Microsoft Teams or Slack.

Steve has a background in software development and launched a successful digital media start-up before attending law school. He was then a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center, was Associate Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton, and spent four years at the U.S. Department of State running programs related to digital security, encryption, and online freedom of expression. Steve also clerked for the Honorable Joshua Deahl of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Steve has published articles on legal liabilities of internet encryption systems, government liability for cross-border cyber attacks, and agencies’ authority to enforce privacy, consumer protection, and antitrust violations.