John Ghose is a Partner in the Atlanta office of Freeman Mathis & Gary and is Co-Chair of the firm’s Data Security, Privacy & Technology practice section. Mr. Ghose is also a member of the Commercial and Complex Litigation practice group.
Prior to joining FMG, Mr. Ghose was a cybercrime prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice for nearly 10 years—most recently at the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) in Washington, DC, and before that at the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Atlanta and Philadelphia. Mr. Ghose is a subject matter expert on cryptocurrency and dark web investigations who has taught widely on these subjects, both domestically and abroad. He has extensive experience investigating and prosecuting data breaches, ransomware attacks, insider threats, business email compromise, and cyber-enabled money laundering. Mr. Ghose understands the technical aspects and legal ramifications of cyber attacks and is uniquely qualified to advise on ways to prevent, prepare for, and respond to them.
In his Data Security, Privacy & Technology practice, Mr. Ghose represents organizations of every size and in every industry in their data security and privacy legal issues. His work includes: (1) advising on regulatory compliance with U.S. federal and state data security and privacy laws; (2) serving as legal counsel to provide 24/7 emergency response in the event of a data security incident, such as a ransomware attack, data breach, wire transfer fraud, or extortion demand; and (3) defending organizations in litigation of data security and privacy claims, including class action data breach cases, technology errors and omissions claims, and enforcement actions and investigations by government regulators.
Mr. Ghose is also an accomplished trial attorney who has tried and won 11 federal jury trials, including eight as first chair. His prosecution experience goes beyond cyber matters. In 2018, he was awarded the Director’s Award from the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys—one of the Department of Justice’s highest honors—for his work on Operation Ghost Guard, one of the largest public corruption investigations in FBI history, involving the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Prior to becoming a federal prosecutor, Mr. Ghose worked at the law firms of Dechert in Philadelphia and Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York. He was also a law clerk for federal district court and court of appeals judges after his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
In his free time, Mr. Ghose enjoys spending time playing tennis, backcountry camping, and riding electric bikes with his wife, Neena, a physician at Emory University, and their three children, ages 13, 11, and 4.