Sara H. Jodka

Sara Jodka, CIPP-US, CIPP-E, and CIPM / member at Dickinson Wright, is an experienced legal advisor and litigator. She provides clients with practical advice on a wide range of labor and employment issues, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment, leave, FMLA, COVID-19 response, reductions in force, background checks, drug testing, breach of contract, non-compete/restraint of trade/non-solicitation, employment agreements, executive compensation, wage/hour class/collective actions and other aspects of the employment relationship. Her focus is on providing no-nonsense, pragmatic, realistic, and straightforward support on labor and employment issues to help management respond effectively, efficiently, and in line with the company’s needs.

Her litigation practice also extends to business/corporate law as she represents clients on both sides in non-compete/non-solicitation/trade secret violation cases, shareholder/member breach of fiduciary duties, brand dilution, trademark/copyright infringement, etc. at all stages of litigation, including injunction and trial. 

On top of her significant labor and employment practice, Sara is the Immediate Past Chair of the 1,700+ member Ohio State Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section, and is the Editor of the firm’s labor and employment blog, All Things HR.

Sara combines her in-depth knowledge of privacy and data security regulations and best practices, both domestic and international, with her keen understanding of emerging and information technologies to provide clients with practical advice on how to design and implement their products and services, draft/negotiate sophisticated technology agreements (e.g., “as-a-service” agreements, EULAs, DPAs, subscriber agreements, WISPs, etc.), consummate their M&A transactions, and engage third-party vendors in the United States and abroad. Sara has assisted clients in launching various technologies including medical devices; communication tools; toys using artificial intelligence, voice recognition, and real-time chat functionality; and apps for telehealth, COVID-19 tracking, e-commerce, social/protective services, geo-mapping, drone aviation, food delivery, and more.

Over the past few years, Sara has assisted more than 100 companies, from U.S.-based multinationals to startups, on their path to compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). She regularly works with businesses to review and audit their privacy policies and procedures; prepare for and respond to data breaches; employ post-breach remedying; provide employee training; and legal and regulatory compliance matters, including HIPPAA/HITECH, GLBA, FERPA, COPPA, PIPL, and US state-specific privacy laws, such as CAN-SPAM, and TCPA. She leverages her business litigation, transactional experience leading M&A, and tech transactions as well as her ability to break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand action items to provide effective, ongoing counsel to clients in their day-to-day operations.

Sara has also been certified by IAPP as a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and a Certified Information Privacy Professional in the laws of the United States – private sector (CIPP/US), and the laws of the European Union (CIPP/E).