Kaitlin Betancourt is a partner in Goodwin’s Data, Privacy & Cybersecurity practice and a member of the firm’s Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution group. Focusing her practice on cybersecurity law and compliance, and AI strategy and governance, Kaitlin enables clients and businesses to overcome complex legal issues and risk related to cybersecurity and data matters. Her expertise spans cyber incident response and preparedness, cybersecurity governance and regulatory compliance, corporate transactions, and internal investigations. Kaitlin’s practice also includes advising companies on artificial intelligence governance and risk management. Kaitlin regularly advises clients at the C-suite and board level on navigating complex cybersecurity matters and strategically approaching the responsible implementation of AI.
Prior to joining Goodwin, Kaitlin served as the Chief Legal Officer of Cybersecurity, Data Privacy and AI at Prudential Financial, Inc., a global insurer and asset manager, where she had global and enterprise-wide responsibility. She led the company’s legal, regulatory and investigative matters on cyber and artificial intelligence, including advising senior management. Before this experience, Kaitlin held a number of roles as a transactional and regulatory attorney in asset management, both in-house and at a major law firm. She was Chief Compliance Officer and Counsel at a middle market manager, where, among other responsibilities, she oversaw and led all aspects of private fund formation as well as the company’s regulatory and SEC matters. Before that, Kaitlin was the primary regulatory attorney for Blackstone Credit, the credit business of one of the world’s largest asset managers, with responsibility for its SEC regulatory matters. She began her legal career advising on fund formation at a major global law firm, and was a paralegal at a hedge fund for several years while attending law school at night.
Drawing from her varied prior experiences, Kaitlin has a deep understanding of the business priorities of corporate clients, and the intersection of cybersecurity, AI and risk management with such priorities. She leverages her multi-disciplinary background to provide clients with comprehensive, tailored and practical guidance on navigating the rapidly evolving cybersecurity threat landscape and emerging AI landscape. She has in-depth knowledge of cybersecurity-focused and AI regulations impacting clients across a wide range of industries, including insurance, financial services, asset management, life sciences, technology and other industries. Kaitlin advises clients on all aspects of the AI system lifecycle, including strategies for responsible adoption, as well as overall governance and risk management strategies in a multitude of domains, including security, regulatory and litigation. She has advised public and private companies on all aspects of the technical and legal response to complex cybersecurity incidents, including ransomware, extortion, data breaches, third party incidents and loss of data. She delivers proactive advice on cybersecurity preparedness, including through executive briefings, tabletop exercises, risk assessments, advising on supply chain risk and crafting tailored policies and procedures.
Early on in her career, Kaitlin worked at the FBI, and she has a Masters degree in Russian Translation.
Kaitlin was selected to serve on the 2025-2026 Law 360 Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Board, and regularly speaks on cybersecurity and AI at conferences and in the media. She is a Founding Member of the Cyber Counsel Group, an industry group dedicated to empowering in-house cybersecurity lawyers.
Representative Matters
Kaitlin’s experience includes representing:
- A global technology software company in connection with a network intrusion and digital extortion incident
- A biopharmaceutical company in connection with a ransomware attack
- A publicly traded biotechnology company in connection with cybersecurity incidents
- A global nonprofit company in connection with a third-party incident
- A cloud-based management software company in connection with a third-party business email compromise and wire fraud
- An institutional alternative asset manager in connection with cyber-enabled fraud
- A company that provides technology within the medical field in connection with a third-party incident involving customer credentials
- A software company in connection with a business email compromise
- A company that serves as a software framework in connection with security researcher findings
- A company providing AI-powered software in connection with a business email compromise and wire fraud
- A company in the education industry in connection with an insider threat incident
- A middle market private equity firm in connection with cybersecurity risk management
- A publicly traded non-US biotechnology company in connection with SEC cybersecurity incident reporting obligations and procedures
- A publicly traded clinical stage biotechnology company in connection with SEC cybersecurity incident reporting obligations and procedures
- A biotechnology company in connection with cybersecurity risk management program policies and procedures
- A publicly traded company in the finance industry in connection with SEC cybersecurity incident reporting obligations and procedures
- A company in the marketing industry in connection with a vulnerability disclosure program policy and associated considerations
- An AI drug discovery company in connection with AI systems usage and AI risk management
- A developer of AI-powered robotics for consumer applications in connection with cybersecurity threats, governance and risk management, and security assessments
- A publicly traded company in the entertainment industry in connection with AI regulatory obligations, risk assessments and procedures
- A clinical-stage biotechnology company in connection with AI systems usage and cybersecurity risk management
Professional Activities
Kaitlin is a Founding Member of the Cyber Counsel Group, an industry group dedicated to empowering in-house cybersecurity lawyers. She also holds a certification as an Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional from the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Kaitlin is a member of the Fordham Urban Law Journal Alumni Association.
Professional Experience
Prior to joining Goodwin, Kaitlin served as the Chief Legal Officer of Cybersecurity, Data Privacy and AI at Prudential Financial, Inc., where she led the company’s legal, regulatory, and investigative matters on cybersecurity, data privacy, and artificial intelligence. She served as the primary legal advisor to Prudential’s Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Data Officer. Among other responsibilities, Kaitlin managed highly complex, high-profile, global cyber incident response matters, including meeting with regulators, making significant securities and other filings, successfully responding to inquiries, and conducting after-action reviews. She advised on cyber incident response preparedness, including incident response plan reviews, bug bounty program structuring, insider threat programs, contractual protections, risk assessments, table-top exercises, training and employee education, and third party risk management.
Previously, Kaitlin was Chief Compliance Officer & Counsel at Garrison Investments and Vice President, Legal & Compliance at The Blackstone Group. Kaitlin began her legal career advising on fund formation and SEC regulatory matters at a major global law firm, and before doing so, was a paralegal at a hedge fund for several years.
Credentials
Education
JD
Fordham University
MARussian Translation
Columbia University
BARussian Language & Literature
The George Washington University
Admissions
Bars
- New York
- New Jersey
Recognition & Awards
Kaitlin was selected to serve on the 2025-2026 Law 360 Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Board. She was also selected for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Honors Internship program, a highly competitive program accepting approximately 3-5% of applicants, and held an FBI Top Secret security clearance.
Thought Leadership
Kaitlin frequently writes and presents on legal issues related to cybersecurity, AI, data protection, breach response, and regulatory matters. She has served on various panels, spoken at multiple industry conferences, and has been interviewed by the media.
Speaking Engagements:
- Host, “Trump Administration Sets New Direction for AI Policy,” Goodwin New Directions Audio Series, April 2025
- Panelist, “AI Security: Critical Questions, Expert Answers,” Webinar, April 2025
- Panelist, “The Power and Problems With DeepSeek and Open-Source Models: What You Need To Worry About,” HumanX, March 2025
- Moderator, “AI Governance: The Emerging Regulatory Landscape,” HumanX, March 2025
- Panelist, “The Interrelationship between Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity,” Webinar, January 2025
- Panelist, “Navigating the Ethical and Responsible Use of AI,” Thoropass Connect 2024
- Panelist, “CISO Liability: How Not to Get Singled Out in an Evolving Regulatory Environment,” FAIRCON24
- Panelist, “Cybersecurity: Roundup on Recent SEC Developments and Looking Forward Webinar,” Webinar, September 2024
- Judge, Cyber25 Women of Impact: Cyber 25: Women of Impact List - Team8
Kaitlin’s commentary and notable publications include:
- Co-Author, Client Alert, “Life Sciences Companies Must Navigate the DOJ Data Rule,” Goodwin Alert, April 2025
- Quoted, “Cyber25: The Women of Impact List, in Collaboration with NYSE,” Business Wire, March 2025
- Co-Author, “NYDFS Publishes Guidance on AI-Related Cybersecurity Risks,” Goodwin Insight, October 2024