Sheila Sokolowski

Practice Areas

Sheila Sokolowski co-chairs Hintze Law's Privacy and Data Protection Practice. Sheila advises clients on data privacy and security risk mitigation and management strategies, including data breach and security incident response. She collaborates with in-house legal and technical professionals to develop scalable, risk-based data privacy and security legal compliance solutions, encompassing the FTC Act, HIPAA/HITECH, 42 C.F.R. Part 2, COPPA, FERPA, state consumer privacy laws and GDPR.

Career

Having 20+ years of experience, Sheila has developed a national reputation as one of the leading experts in HIPAA/HITECH matters. Since joining Hintze Law PLLC, a boutique firm ranked by Chambers USA Guide and Chambers Global Guide in the field of Privacy & Data Security in 2021, she has expanded the firm’s roster of healthcare clients and was again ranked in Chambers USA Guide (Nationwide), Illinois for Healthcare.

Sheila advises a broad range of healthcare and biotech clients as well privacy and related healthcare issues and to helps technology clients navigate healthcare-specific privacy and security regulations as they provide their products and services to healthcare providers or develop new products that are health-related or incorporate biometric features.

Sheila has also developed significant expertise in the area of children's, teens, and student privacy representing online learning platforms, service providers to schools, and higher education entities.

Professional Memberships

Bar Admissions:

Illinois (2009)

Texas (2001)

American Health Lawyers Association

Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys

International Association of Privacy Professionals Education Advisory Board Member

Publications

Press Appearances:

“Workers’ Abortion Privacy at Risk as Texas Targets Employer Aid” - Bloomberg Law, July 15, 2022

“Biden Summons FTC Aid in Bid to Guard Abortion Data Privacy” - Bloomberg Law, July 11, 2022

“Navigating State Data Privacy Laws” - Gov Info Security, May 19,2021

“Newly Patched Peloton API Flaws Exposed Users' Private Data” - Bank Info Security, May 6, 2021

“Unpacking the proposed HIPAA Privacy Rule modifications” - The Privacy Advisor, January 26, 2021

“After the Breach” - Chicago Lawyer, January 2018

Podcast:

HIPAA Bytes, podcasts addressing HIPAA privacy, security breach notification regulations and providing practical guidance for compliance.

Work Highlights

Advised a large technology company on the integration of a major acquisition involving health care data, including updating policies, agreements, and compliance programs to address a wider range of rigorous regulatory obligations across multiple jurisdictions.

Counseled fintech clients on the development of health information governance and regulatory compliance programs in compliance with HIPAA/HITECH Act as business associates.

Advised wellness apps on responses to security incidents including breaches of protected health information and health related personal information and advised on obligations under HIPAA/HITECH Act and state data breach laws.

Counseled investors on evaluating and understanding privacy and security risks in transactions with emerging life sciences companies.

Experience

Sheila counsels emerging life sciences companies on practical, business-focused legal compliance strategies to address the federal regulation of health care providers and clinical research, including Washington's My Health My Data Act, the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act, the Stark Law, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, state and federal false claims acts, HIPAA/HITECH, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (the “Common Rule”). She also counsels investors seeking to evaluate and understand the health care regulatory risks involved in transactions with emerging life sciences companies.

In addition to her health care experience, Sheila has valuable experience with laws impacting student's and childrens' privacy, including COPPA, FERPA, and many state, school district, and city laws.

Clients

Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, health care, telehealth and life sciences companies and their service providers; investors; cloud computing companies; data streaming and machine learning platforms; online learning marketplaces; and institutions of higher education.

Education