Judith H. Germano is an internationally recognized thought leader on cybersecurity governance and privacy issues. After serving as the Chief of Economic Crimes at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, and a federal prosecutor for 11 years, Judi founded GermanoLawLLC to provide client-focused advice and representation to companies and individuals.
Judi advises public and privately-held companies on cybersecurity and privacy matters, and represents individual and corporate clients on securities fraud and other complex white-collar criminal and regulatory-compliance issues. Judi provides legal and strategic counsel to senior executives and corporations on matters of corporate governance, internal investigations, crisis management, and criminal as well as civil defense.
Judi also serves as a Distinguished Fellow at New York University’s Center for Cybersecurity, and is an Adjunct Professor at NYU School of Law and NYU Stern School of Business, a Professor in NYU’s Masters in Risk & Strategy Program, and a Senior Fellow at the Reiss Center on Law and Security. As the leader of NYU’s cybersecurity task force and roundtable series, Judi brings together corporate executives and senior government officials to explore and address cybersecurity challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective. Judi also created and spearheads NYU’s Women Leaders in Cybersecurity programming and annual conference. Judi is a highly sought after keynote speaker and presenter. Judi also is a Member of the Board of Advisors of Truepic.
Legal Experience
GermanoLawLLC, founding member (since 2013)
Distinguished Fellow at New York University, Center for Cybersecurity, Adjunct Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, Professor in NYU’s Masters in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy Program, and a Senior Fellow at the Reiss Center on Law and Security. Judi focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to cybersecurity governance, law, and policy; board and corporate briefings on cybersecurity risk and strategy; incident response; cybercrime; and managing emerging threats. (Judi joined NYU in 2013)
Chief, Economic Crimes, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey: federal prosecutor for 11 years, focusing on white-collar crime (securities and other financial fraud), cybercrime, public and private sector corruption, and national security matters (2002 to 2013)
- Supervised and prosecuted complex criminal cases of national and international impact, at all stages of the proceedings, involving securities and other financial fraud, cybercrime, corruption, export control violations, and national security
- Handled the District of New Jersey’s first criminal prosecution based on evidence obtained under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
- Supervised major, international data breach investigations (including the two largest cyberfraud cases ever filed)
- Prosecuted a $37 million securities fraud case that was one of the largest and longest-running insider trading cases ever prosecuted
- Lead prosecutor in the investigation and prosecution of Sharpe James, the former mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and a State Senator
- Received commendation certificates from FBI Director for cases involving securities fraud, political corruption and counter-proliferation/national security
Shearman & Sterling, New York, New York, litigation associate (1999 to 2002, 1997 to 1998)
Federal Clerkships
Hon. Joseph M. McLaughlin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1998-1999)
Hon. Dominic J. Squatrito, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut (1996-1997)
Other Experience
Trained mediator (since 2000)
Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, New York Extension, adjunct faculty member (1992 to 1996)
Coordinated one of the world’s first cyber law conferences, “Cyberspace & the Law” in 1996, at St. John’s University School of Law, New York, focusing on privacy, intellectual property and internet safety issues
Burson-Marsteller, Technology & Telecommunications group, represented two Fortune 50 companies on media relations issues (1991 to 1993)
Board Positions
Truepic, Inc., Expert Industry Advisor (2020 to present)
Advanced CyberSecurity Center, National Advisory Board (ACSC) (2020 to present)
Volatility and Risk Institute at NYU Stern, Faculty Advisory Board (2019 to present)
Montclair State University, Advisory Board Member, Paralegal Studies Program (2010 to present)
The Third Way Cyber Enforcement Initiative, Advisory Board (2018 to present)
FAME GC (Friends of Arts & Music Enrichment GC), Board President and Co-Founder (2021 to present)
The Children’s House Montessori Preschool, Verona, New Jersey, Board President and Trustee (2007 to 2009)
Education
St. John’s University School of Law, J.D. with honors and a full academic scholarship
Cornell University, B.S.
Bar Admissions
Admitted in: New York; New Jersey; Connecticut; Supreme Court of the United States; U.S. Courts of Appeals, Second and Third Circuits; and U.S. District Courts for the District of New Jersey, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, and District of Connecticut
Also of note about Judith
Judith was recognized as a NJBiz Top 50 Women in Business in 2019.
Judith successfully co
mpleted five IronMan 140.6 mile triathlons, in five consecutive years (2015 through 2019), placing 10th in her age group on the challenging Lake Placid IronMan course in 2018, and ranking as an IronMan All World Athlete after an 11:43-hour finish at IronMan Florida in 2019. Judith has also completed a number of Half-Iron and Olympic distance triathlons, marathons, two Tough Mudders and more. Judi is a featured athlete in Melanie and Don Fink’s books IronFit Triathlon Training for Women, and IronFit’s Everyman Triathlons, Time-Efficient Training for Short Course Triathletes.
Judith has been quoted in Forbes, the Washington Post, NY Times, and elsewhere, and has appeared on BBC News, HuffPost Live and Microsoft’s Small Business Academy series.
For a feature story about Judith in NJBiz, click here.