Lynn A. Goldstein, Class of 1978

Retired chief privacy officer at JPMorgan Chase and recognized expert on data protection laws

As Privacy General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at JPMorgan Chase, Lynn Goldstein coordinated and oversaw the company’s global compliance with privacy, confidentiality, secrecy and data protection laws and regulations. Prior to that, she served as Card Services General Counsel and Head of Litigation for Bank One. Recently retired from JPMorgan Chase, she joined New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) as Chief Data Officer this fall. CUSP is an applied science research institute created by NYU and NYU-Poly with a consortium of world-class universities and leading international tech companies. As Chief Data Officer, Goldstein will provide guidance, strategic direction and coordination of compliance with privacy, confidentiality, and data protection laws and regulations.

Goldstein has also been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Syracuse University and Northwestern University School of Law, and an instructor for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. She has published two articles in the Chicago-Kent Law Review and authored a chapter on the use of jury consultants in Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel.

What did you think you were going to be when you grew up?

I grew up watching Perry Mason, so as a child I wanted to be a lawyer. No one in my family had gone to college, let alone law school. I had no idea how to be a lawyer, but that’s what Perry Mason did so I wanted to be a lawyer.

What is your greatest professional achievement?

As I look back on it, I think it was being head of litigation arguing in the Illinois Supreme Court. That was very cool.

Who is your favorite Supreme Court Justice?

I would have to say Brandeis. I think that’s because I’m working in the privacy realm right now and he was so influential in the development of privacy law in the United States. I’ve been thinking about him a lot in the past few years.

How did Chicago-Kent prepare you for your present success?

I came out with a really strong academic education, but I also got practical experience along the way. I think our professors gave us really practical advice as part of our substantive education. That was very helpful along the way. There’s a lot more to a legal education than just learning the law and being able to apply it when you graduate.

What does your future hold?

At NYU, they just started within the last 18 months, a new school called The Center for Urban Science & Progress. It’s about studying the new discipline of urban informatics. This is a new initiative begun by Mayor Bloomberg in conjunction with NYU. We’re using New York City as a test bed to understand ways to make big cities more resilient, more efficient, and better places for the future. We’re using big data to do that, and a large component is the data gathered by the city agencies of New York City. Given my experience as Chief Privacy Officer for JP Morgan Chase, I have a lot of experience working with big data. It was a natural fit for me after I retired.