Mercer_Shannon

Shannon Togawa Mercer

Senior Associate

Shannon Togawa Mercer advises clients on matters related to cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection laws. In addition to her work counseling on privacy and data protection compliance, she works closely with clients on incident preparedness and implementing regulatory requirements in the privacy and cybersecurity spaces. She has counseled clients of all sizes and across numerous sectors through a wide range of cybersecurity incidents, including complex cyber extortion and ransomware incidents. Ms. Mercer is also experienced in advising on data breach notification efforts across jurisdictions, law enforcement coordination and regulatory investigations. Ms. Mercer was a contributing editor to The Guide to Cyber Investigations – 3rd Edition published in 2023. 

She joined WilmerHale from the London location of a large global law firm and previously worked as a national security, technology and law associate for the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. She also served as the managing editor of the prominent US national security blog, Lawfare. 

During law school, Ms. Mercer completed legal internships for the US Department of Justice, Civil Division, Appellate Staff; the United States Trade Representative, Office of the General Counsel; and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Mercer was an associate at a management consulting firm and a management associate in the research department and the department of corporate counsel at the world’s largest hedge fund.

State Comprehensive Privacy Law Series

Read about the latest state privacy law activity in our Privacy and Cybersecurity Law blog post series. LEARN MORE

Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Blog Posts

Read about the latest developments on Big Data and AI law on our Privacy and Cybersecurity Law blog. LEARN MORE

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Credentials

  • Education

    • JD, Georgetown University Law Center, 2017

      cum laude Dean’s List, Exceptional Pro Bono Pledge Honoree, Editor in Chief, Georgetown Journal of International Law
    • AB, Politics, Princeton University, 2011

      cum laude

      Certificates in Near Eastern Studies and Arabic Language

      Near Eastern Studies Senior Thesis Prize, Bobst Center for Peace and Justice Award

  • Admissions

    • District of Columbia

    • New York

Credentials