Heather Saum Ware
Biography
Heather Saum Ware is a partner with Hall Booth Smith and based in the Atlanta office. She started her practice in 1998 in Mississippi in the areas of products liability and medical malpractice defense. Since joining HBS over 15 years ago, Heather has litigated in a variety of areas involving medical, chiropractic, and dental malpractice; general liability; and data privacy and cybersecurity.
A native of Columbus, Mississippi, Heather attended Mississippi State University as a Schillig Scholar and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 1995. In 1998, she received her Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Mississippi.
Experience
Heather is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP-US) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). She provides guidance to clients across a broad range of industries, including legal, health care, financial, and retail on data protection and regulatory compliance laws such as HIPAA and HITECH.
Heather is part of the firm’s Data Security Rapid Response Team to assist companies that are experiencing or have experienced a breach with forensics, law enforcement and regulators, data breach notification, managing public disclosures, C-Suite and Board support, and litigation. She also develops proactive plans to reduce the risk of a cyberattack and provides counseling on risk/security assessments. In addition, she works with businesses to implement policies and procedures, awareness training for employees, and incidence response and preparation.
Heather has experience handling a variety of general litigation claims. Her practice has included products liability cases ranging from automobiles to agriculture, premises liability claims ranging from a shooting at an apartment complex to falling in a neighbor’s yard, and an array of other claims such as dog bites, slip and falls, false imprisonment, and sexual assault.
Heather litigates professional negligence claims through the defense of doctors, chiropractors, hospitals, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists. She works with the health care practitioner to highlight his or her expertise through the support of outstanding expert witnesses and knowledgeable, thorough, and detailed preparation for trial.
Credentials
Admitted
State Courts:
- Georgia, 2006
- Court of Appeals, Supreme Court
- Mississippi, 2005
- Court of Appeals, Supreme Court
U.S. District Courts:
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 2006
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 2006
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, 1998
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, 1998
U.S. Supreme Court, 2005
Certifications
- Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US)
- Issued by: International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
Education
- J.D., cum laude, University of Mississippi, 1998
- B.A., summa cum laude, Mississippi State University, 1995
Memberships
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
Recognition
- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated™, High Ethical Standing, Martindale-Hubbell
In the Press
