Joshua P. Galper
Co-Founder and Partner
Joshua P. Galper is co-founder and partner of the law firm Galper & Goldberg PLLC and the public relations firm Trident DMG. Josh has more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of law, public policy, communications, and business, including at premier global law firms and as general counsel for a high-profile tech company.
Josh advises clients on matters at the nexus of law, public policy and regulation, and the media. His counsel and advocacy focus on: crisis management; regulatory, congressional, state attorneys general, and other government investigations; litigation and disputes; public policy issues, government relations and public affairs; reputation management and strategic communications to support legal objectives. He also provides counsel on a range of issues, including data, privacy and cybersecurity, and areas in which regulation can pose threats to and opportunities for innovation. His clients have included U.S. and international companies, start-ups, high net-worth individuals and families, educational institutions, hedge funds, venture capital and private equity, public figures and officeholders, state and local governments, non-profits, and Indian tribes. Matters he has worked on over his career span numerous and wide-ranging sectors and issues including financial services and investment, health (tech, devices, biotech, and pharmaceutical), product liability, entertainment and sports, privacy and cybersecurity, internet and technology, education, hospitality, retail, transportation, automotive, and telecommunications.
Throughout Josh’s career in private practice, in-house and politics, Josh has played the role of strategist and counselor to numerous corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate directors, and national political figures.
Previously, Josh served from 2011 until 2016 as the Chief Policy Officer, General Counsel, SVP-Business Development, Head of Communications, and Corporate Secretary of the venture-backed tech start-up Personal.com, which in 2017 merged with Digi.me and spun out TeamData.com. As a senior member of the company’s management team, Josh helped drive the corporate strategy and growth in all areas and co-led the privacy and security teams.
From 2003-2011, Josh helped to build and later co-chaired the Public Strategies and Crisis Management Practice at Patton Boggs and then at Orrick, where he became partner in 2008. Josh began his legal career at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C. in 2000 as one of the first lawyers in the firm’s global privacy and information law group.
Josh’s extensive political background informs his approach to the interplay of law, public policy and communications. He worked for former U.S. Senator David Boren in Washington, former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley on his presidential campaign, Rahm Emanuel on his first congressional primary race, former Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich on his Massachusetts governor’s race, among others. He also served on the speechwriting teams of the Democratic National Conventions that nominated John Kerry (2004) and Barack Obama (2008) as a writer, editor and presentation coach for podium speakers.
From 2014-2017, Josh was appointed by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to serve on the DHS Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee, which advises the department on technology, policies and programs. Josh has also been named a “Privacy by Design” ambassador and has been active in data, privacy and data-driven development initiatives at the World Economic Forum and Aspen Institute.
In 2015, Josh was named a top corporate legal counsel in Washington, D.C. by Legal Bisnow and the Association of Corporate Counsel-National Capital Region as well as a National Law Journal Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Trailblazer. He has served as an expert mentor at tech incubators and on the ALM Advisory Board on Cybsersecurity and Data Privacy. Josh also taught a semester-long course on legal crisis management as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center in 2008 and 2010, and was a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Admitted to practice law in Illinois and the District of Columbia, Josh is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.