Jones Walker Hires Former DOJ Privacy Counsel Christina Baptista

Baptista will serve across the firm’s Litigation, Compliance and Securities, and Privacy and Data Strategy practice groups. Her move follows a significant career at the DOJ, where she functioned as lead privacy counsel to the department’s chief AI officer. In that capacity, she directed the implementation of AI governance frameworks and represented the Federal Privacy Council before the Chief AI Officers Council. Her work on the Data Protection Review Court earned her the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award.

Managing partner Bill Hines noted that Baptista’s federal experience provides a critical advantage for clients facing heightened regulatory scrutiny and evolving technological risks. Prior to her recent work on AI policy, Baptista spent a decade within the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, managing complex legal portfolios ranging from federal court litigation to civil class actions. At Jones Walker, she will focus on helping businesses structure data programs that can withstand both courtroom challenges and shifting federal compliance requirements.