Four Cooley Partners Honored Among Elite in Data Breach Response
April 24, 2026 – Washington, DC Four Cooley partners were named to Cybersecurity Docket’s Incident Response Elite for 2026, a prestigious annual list recognizing the top data breach response lawyers worldwide.
The honorees include Travis LeBlanc, DC-based co-chair of Cooley’s cyber/data/privacy practice; Patrick Van Eecke, co-chair and head of the cyber/data/privacy practice in Cooley’s Brussels office; Guadalupe Sampedro, head of the cyber/data/privacy practice in Cooley’s London office; and New York-based partner Kristen Mathews. The 2026 list marks LeBlanc’s ninth, Van Eecke’s third, Sampedro’s fourth and Mathews’ first recognition by Cybersecurity Docket.
Based on input from numerous senior lawyers and other professionals in the field, as well as extensive research, the IR Elite identifies lawyers who can manage large data breach responses with professionalism and urgency.
Cooley’s cyber/data/privacy practice is a cross-functional, integrated team of lawyers in the United States, Europe and Asia, spanning the full spectrum of advisory, transactional, regulatory and litigation matters involving privacy, cybersecurity and data governance. The firm’s c/d/p lawyers have handled hundreds of data breaches since 2003, including complex international incidents spanning multiple jurisdictions. The team leverages that experience – and the insights gained from it – to help clients respond effectively to security incidents and mitigate legal, reputational, operational and regulatory risk.
Cooley’s c/d/p practice works with clients on breach preparedness and response, including incident response planning, proactive strategy development, response playbook development, training and tabletop exercises, incident investigation, mitigation and remediation, and engagement with key vendors.
The practice group’s blog – cyber/data/privacy insights – provides proactive legal insight and analysis on the full range of cybersecurity, data protection and privacy issues. Cooley’s data incident and breach response team can be reached 24/7 via incident.response@cooley.com, or at +1 844 476 1248 or +44 (0) 20 7556 4567.
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