Emily Black

Emily Westridge Black takes a common-sense, business-oriented approach to counseling clients on complex litigation and investigation matters. Emily has successfully represented prominent businesses and individuals on a range of issues, including data breach and cybersecurity, anti-corruption and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), securities regulation, antitrust, and class actions. Her efforts were recognized in 2015 when Chambers USA, Chambers and Partners, named her a top lawyer for commercial litigation in Texas.

In recent data breach matters, Emily counseled a large specialty retailer and a prominent hotel chain through the investigation, remediation, and disclosure of significant breaches of personally identifiable information (PII) and payment card information, and led the investigation of a cyber-incident impacting PII and protected health information maintained by a Fortune 200 healthcare company.

Emily also assists clients with disputes arising from data security incidents. For example, she successfully represented a breached merchant in a breach of contract suit against a card processor that had attempted to collect millions of dollars of card brand fees from the merchant.

Emily counsels clients on regulatory issues, including compliance with anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, including the FCPA and UK Bribery Act. Clients benefit from Emily’s experience working in-house at an international pharmaceutical company developing and implementing organization-wide anti-corruption initiatives that balanced legal requirements with business objectives.

She has designed practical and effective anti-corruption compliance programs for numerous public and private companies in diverse sectors, including clients in the oil and gas, energy, pharmaceutical, freight forwarding, and hospitality industries. Emily has also investigated suspected violations of anti-corruption laws and liaised with regulators on behalf of her clients.

An accomplished litigator, Emily realizes that the best result – an early victory – is often obtained through motion practice. For example, she recently helped a hedge fund client and its principals defeat class certification and obtain a voluntary dismissal of all claims, including breach of fiduciary duty. Emily also represented the former CEO of Microtune, Inc. in a stock option backdating case brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and, with a team of Haynes and Boone lawyers, won summary judgment and a complete dismissal.

Emily is also committed to serving the community. She recently won asylum for four Cameroonian natives and a Nepali native. She also proudly serves on the board of directors for the March of Dimes of Central Texas.

EDUCATION :

• J.D., University of Texas at Austin School of Law, 2007, cum laude; Phi Delta Phi
• B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2003, cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa

ADMISSIONS : Texas, 2007

COURT ADMISSIONS :

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas