John Dermody
Counsel
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John Dermody joined O’Melveny after a decade in government service, recently serving as a deputy legal advisor at the National Security Council (NSC). Previously, John served in the General Counsel’s offices of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense. Drawing on his experience in the highest levels of government, John advises clients on data security, privacy, cybersecurity, and national security issues, including economic sanctions and national security reviews of investments and technology transactions conducted by the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Defense, the Treasury, State, and Commerce. As a member of O’Melveny’s Coronavirus Task Force, John advises clients on government emergency powers, shelter-in-place orders, and data privacy issues associated with public health measures.
While at the NSC, John advised senior officials on cybersecurity, infrastructure protection, disaster response, border and transportation security, election security, biodefense, and other matters of US national security. His work included coordinating responses to and attribution of cyber incidents, revising US cyber operations policy, and helping to develop and implement the National Cyber Strategy. He also advised on US sanctions programs and matters and policies relating to supply chain security, 5G deployment, and spectrum allocation.
John’s responsibilities as a senior staff attorney in the Intelligence Law Division of DHS included advising on compliance with domestic and international privacy regimes and advising government officials on data security matters related to data analytics, data sharing, and cloud computing technology, giving him unique insight on security and privacy implications of emerging technologies. John is a Certified Information Privacy Professional for the United States (CIPP/US) and Europe (CIPP/E).
John has received numerous awards over the course of his career, including the Director of National Intelligence’s Meritorious Unit Citation and the DHS Secretary’s Award for Excellence.
Government Experience
- Deputy Legal Advisor, Office of the Legal Advisor, National Security Council
- Attorney-Advisor, Intelligence Law Division, Office of the General Counsel, United States Department of Homeland Security
- Associate Deputy General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel, United States Department of Defense
Honors & Awards
- Meritorious Unit Citation, Director of National Intelligence, 2018
- Secretary’s Award for Excellence, Department of Homeland Security, 2017, 2014
- Team of the Year, Intelligence Community Legal Award, 2017
- Intelligence Integration Unit Citation, Director of National Intelligence, 2015
- Intelligence Leadership Award, Department of Homeland Security, 2015
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
- District of Columbia
Education
- University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., Hastings International and Comparative Law Review, Consulting Editor
- Queen’s University, Belfast, M.A., International Politics, with merit
- University of Dublin, Trinity College, M.Phil.
- University of California, Berkeley, B.A.
Professional Activities
Clerkships
- The Honorable Robert R. Rigsby, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
- The Honorable Frederick H. Weisberg, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
Publications
- "2 FCA Settlements Highlight Gov't Cyber Liability Focus" Law360 (May 2022)
- The Second Coming Law Society Gazette (August 2020)
- “Where Will The Needle Land? COVID-19 Contact Tracing v. Protecting Personal Privacy?” Law Journal Newsletters (June 2020)
- “Here Come 5G IoT Devices: What Is “Reasonable Security”?” CPO Magazine (April 2020)
Speaking Engagements
- Presenter, “Ransomware: How to Prepare and Respond,” O’Melveny Public Company Boot Camp series (August 2021)
- Panelist, “Board of Directors Roundtable - Ransomware Developments,” Board of Directors Forum: Let’s Wine About Ransomware (December 10, 2020)
- Panelist, “Are you Being Reasonable? Implementing and Defending Reasonable Data Security Requirements,” O’Melveny and the Crypsis Group Webinar (August 13, 2020)
- Panelist, “Business Preparedness in Times of Pandemic,” J&J’s Legal Webinar Series for Life Sciences Entrepreneurs (July 23, 2020)
- Panelist, “DEFCON ONE: Cyberattacks, Pandemics, Emergency Planning, and the Legal Battle for Recovery” O’Melveny and Homeland Security Advisory Council Webinar (May 28, 2020)
- Presenter, “Returning to the Workplace Amidst COVID-19,” O’Melveny Webinar (May 20, 2020)
Certifications
- Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US)
- Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E)
