Katarina "Kate" Polozie is a Partner in the firm’s Business and Finance Department and the practice group leader for the Data Privacy and Data Security practice group. Kate concentrates her practice on mergers & acquisitions, complex commercial transactions, data privacy and cybersecurity, AI governance, and venture capital.
Kate counsels a diverse range of successful and growing businesses from local start-up ventures, to multinational corporations, across a spectrum of industries including sports, construction, transportation, manufacturing, telecommunications, food product services, agricultural equipment, distribution, marketing & advertising, human resources, consulting and software.
Kate holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) credential and the Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP) credential through the ANSI-accredited International Association of Privacy Professionals. She counsels clients on data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI governance issues, including advising clients on their privacy and cybersecurity policies, reviewing data privacy, cybersecurity and AI governance issues in connection with corporate acquisitions, reviewing and drafting data privacy and security clauses in commercial agreements, and advising clients on how current and future data privacy,cybersecurity and AI laws and regulations may affect or require changes to their business models.
Kate regularly represents clients in mergers; stock purchase, sales, and auctions; asset purchases and divestitures; and joint ventures, which range from representing multinational corporations in transactions for hundreds of millions of dollars to representing local business in much smaller transactions and in their succession planning.
She also counsels both angel and venture capital investors seeking to invest in companies, and the companies seeking such investment. Kate drafts complex founders' agreements, including limited liability company operating agreements and shareholders' agreements that define the nature of the rights and obligations of the equity holders.
She represents clients on a wide range of complex commercial agreements including: SAAS agreements, terms and conditions of sale, sales representative agreements, distributor agreements, non-disclosure agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, consulting agreements, and other service agreements.
Kate is a frequent speaker on topics pertaining to business succession, M&A, federal and state privacy laws, commercial contracts, venture capital and corporate compliance.
Prior to joining Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP, Kate was a partner at Potomac Law Group PLLC in Washington, DC and a Partner at McDermott, Will & Emery in Washington, DC.
Education
- Northwestern University School of Law, J.D.
- Wellesley College, B.A., cum laude
Bar Admissions
- State of New York
- District of Columbia
- State of Maryland
Professional Affiliations
- Monroe County Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Maryland State Bar Association