Overview
For Molly Arranz, being a lawyer is about being an advocate. Growing up, she witnessed legal challenges her father faced while he ran his own, small business—issues that resulted from his not finding necessary legal assistance for his company’s needs. Her decision to go to law school stemmed from her desire to address this gap and provide legal support for businesses like the one her father owned.
Molly is the chair of Amundsen Davis’s Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Service Group. She is a certified privacy professional (CIPP-US) and a recognized Privacy Law Specialist by the American Bar Association. After a decade and a half of defending companies in consumer privacy class actions and against a backdrop of emerging data privacy laws, Molly advises companies in all industries on compliance with a patchwork of privacy laws and regulations, including: consumer protection regulations; tracking technology disclosures; consumers’ and employees’ rights to access, limit, correct and delete their data; and state and federally mandated notification, disclosure and consent requirements. She also advises a range of companies on their incident response protocol and has served as a breach coach for companies small and large, including multinational and international companies. She counseled a global telecommunications software and cloud computing company on compliance issues for its cloud services. She reviews and advises on data protection addendums and agreements.
Molly is a partner in the firm’s Class Action Service Group. She has defended more than 100 class actions involving a range of legal theories, including privacy violations, consumer fraud, breach of contract, breach of warranty, breach of confidentiality and misrepresentation. She defends clients in claims arising from the Federal Wiretap Act, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO), CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, and RCRA. She represents a wide variety of companies from small family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
In her career, Molly has also defended more than 75 mass tort cases involving claims arising from allegations of exposure to asbestos, silica and benzene.
Experience
Membership & Involvement
- Amundsen Davis Executive Committee
- Member: International Association of Privacy Professionals; American Bar Association; Wisconsin Bar Association
- Former Co-Chair: Amundsen Davis Committee for Diversity and Inclusion
Court Admissions: Illinois; Wisconsin; U.S. Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals Eleventh Circuit; U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan; and, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Pro Hac Vice Admissions: Florida; Indiana; Arizona; District of Columbia; U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri; U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina; and, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Honors
- Selected to the Illinois Super Lawyers list: 2021, 2022
- Selected to the Illinois Super Lawyers "Rising Stars" list: 2011, 2013
- Selected to The Best Lawyers in America® in Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants: 2023
- 2024 Burton Award Recipient: Distinguished Legal Writing
Resources & Insights
In the Media
Alerts
Speaking Engagements
Published Works
Blog Posts
Education on Demand
During this presentation Molly Arranz and John Ochoa will review data privacy and security concerns for employers, including concerns related to the Biometric Privacy Act and the Genetic Information Privacy Act. They will review best practices and policies employers should have in place to avoid legal pitfalls.
It is not if, but when. Though construction companies—especially smaller ones—may believe it won’t happen to them, more and more companies have suffered or will suffer a “data incident” or cyber-attack in some form. In 2020, alone, small businesses were targeted 43% of the time, and malicious emails are up 600% due to COVID-19.
The Biometric Illinois Privacy Act (BIPA) was enacted over 12 years ago and many questions are still being battled in court as employers and employees continue to navigate this biometric privacy law.
Firm News
- Molly Arranz and Sofia Valdivia Receive Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing AwardMolly Arranz and Sofia Valdivia Receive Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award
Congratulations to Molly Arranz and Sofia Valdivia on being named "2024 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award" winners!
- Two of the Biggest Threats to Your Company’s Cybersecurity: The Cyber Hygiene Practices of Your Third-Party Service Providers and Your EmployeesTwo of the Biggest Threats to Your Company’s Cybersecurity: The Cyber Hygiene Practices of Your Third-Party Service Providers and Your Employees
Join Amundsen Davis’s Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Service Group attorneys Molly Arranz, practice group chair, and John Williams, partner, for a timely Cybersecurity Awareness Month discussion!
- Law.com Quotes Molly Arranz on Class Action Against The New York TimesLaw.com Quotes Molly Arranz on Class Action Against The New York Times
A class action lawsuit was filed against The New York Times and its sports publication, The Athletic, alleging the data collection practices violate data privacy laws. Molly Arranz discusses several factors that could influence the outcome of this case and the effect it may have on data collection protocol going forward.
- One Reason Why You May Want to Revisit Your Outreach To Customers, Clients and ContactsOne Reason Why You May Want to Revisit Your Outreach To Customers, Clients and Contacts
The speed and ease at which companies can communicate with their customers or clients continues to improve. Cool, new tech platforms are being pushed out at a rapid pace and business development, sales and marketing teams see an opportunity to more easily and readily send information about discounts, sales, rewards and other offerings on goods and services.
Services
Education
University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D.
Marquette University, B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa
Certified Privacy Professional (CIPP-US)
Admissions
- Illinois
- Wisconsin