Kaitlin Betancourt

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, 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. Prior to her experience as the head of cybersecurity, data privacy, and AI law at a global insurer and asset manager, Kaitlin was a transactional and regulatory attorney in the asset management industry and has a deep understanding of cybersecurity concerns and issues of corporate clients, including private funds. She leverages her multi-disciplinary background to provide clients with comprehensive, tailored and practical guidance on navigating the rapidly evolving cybersecurity threat landscape. She has in-depth knowledge of cybersecurity-focused regulations impacting clients across a wide range of industries, including insurance, financial services, asset management, and other industries.

As the Chief Legal Officer of Cybersecurity, Data Privacy and AI (and formerly the Chief Cybersecurity Counsel) at Prudential Financial, Inc., Kaitlin’s experience included:

• Managing highly complex, high profile, global incident response matters, including meeting with regulators, making significant securities and other filings, successfully responding to inquiries, and conducting after-action reviews.*
• Advising on cyber incident response preparedness, including incident response plan reviews, bug bounty program structuring, insider threat programs, contractual protections, risk assessments, table-top exercises and third party risk management.*
• Serving as a strategic and valued legal resource to client stakeholders, regulators, and C-Suite Executives to resolve complex and challenging issues.*
• Ensuring compliance with recently amended New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) cyber regulations and SEC cyber reporting regulations for public companies, and analyzing proposed SEC cyber program regulations for the asset management arm of the company.*
• Participating in the advocacy process that influenced the proposed changes for the NYDFS cyber regulations. Kaitlin provided critical comments that resulted in actual changes to the final regulation, which resulted in cost savings for covered companies.*
• Advising on cyber training programs and cyber awareness campaigns.*
• Providing guidance on the development of governance and compliance efforts surrounding cybersecurity laws and regulations.*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Kaitlin was the Chief Legal Officer, Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, and AI at Prudential Financial, Inc. where she led the company’s legal, regulatory, and investigative matters on cyber, data privacy, and artificial intelligence. She served as the primary legal advisor to Prudential’s Chief Information Security Officer, Information Security Office and Security Operations Center.

Previously, Kaitlin was Chief Compliance Officer & Counsel at Garrison Investments and Vice President, Legal & Compliance at The Blackstone Group.

Kaitlin is an active member of a growing cybersecurity counsel industry group. She is also a member of the Fordham Urban Law Journal Alumni Association.

Kaitlin is regularly asked to speak publicly on topics related to cybersecurity. She has served on various panels and spoken at multiple industry conferences.

Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, “Navigating the Ethical and Responsible Use of AI,” Theropass 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