A well-respected legal authority on the rapidly evolving landscapes of cybersecurity, data privacy and cryptocurrency, New York City-based litigator Marc Voses comes to Goldberg Segalla at a time when the firm’s Manhattan office is experiencing an unprecedented evolution of its own.

“I think my being with Goldberg Segalla at this time, given the nature of my practice, offers an expansion of the firm’s already deep bench,” said Marc, a partner in the firm’s Global Insurance Services practice group. “Cybersecurity, data privacy, cryptocurrency, virtual assets, artificial intelligence: These are all going to be expansions of current practice areas. There are some new areas such as cryptocurrency insurance and other types of offerings for artificial intelligence, but their roots are in the insurance industry, and Goldberg Segalla and I have been doing that for well over two decades.”

More than 20 attorneys have been added to Goldberg Segalla’s Manhattan team since May, and the firm has expanded its offerings by adding an entirely new Defense Base Act and War Hazards Compensation Act practice group. For Marc, seeing such extraordinary growth in a market as competitive as New York City served as a sign that it was the perfect time to join GS.

“Seeing the quality and the number of attorneys that Goldberg Segalla has added in the last year alone, especially in the New York-Manhattan office, validates my decision to join the firm,” he said. “It shows the quality of the people coming to a firm that is not only forward thinking but growing, and in a positive way, by adding a lot of great legal talent.”

In fact, when it comes to legal talent, Marc serves as ‘Exhibit A.’ Not only does he bring to Goldberg Segalla a history that spans more than two decades of successfully representing domestic and international insurance industry clients in complex matters, but he is considered a pioneer in the field of cyber subrogation.

“Cyber subrogation has always been on my radar, but it’s only been recently that insurance companies are looking to recover the indemnity payments that they make in response to an incident,” said Marc. “When you think about it, back in the day, under products liability-type cases where there’s a fire that results in a premises burning down, the insurance companies would frequently have subrogation actions to recover against a wrongful third party. The same principle applies to cyber incidents, but you need to understand the process. You need to understand the risks inherent in having managed data or that resulted in a cybersecurity breach that triggers coverage under an insurance policy. That’s where my background comes in uniquely. I’ve drafted many policies that are being used in the marketplace by cyber insurers.

“I’ve also assisted with both first-party and third-party coverage matters and disputes,” Marc added. “I’ve even defended some companies in allegations of liability arising out of cybersecurity. So, I have been uniquely positioned to assist insurance companies in pursuing their subrogation efforts against third parties that result in loss to their insureds. I think this is a worthwhile endeavor because insurance companies shouldn’t be on the hook when the ultimate cause of loss is not the result of their insured. I have developed a winning formula for cyber subrogation matters that balances cost and reward in a manner that is appealing to insurers.”

A hallmark of Marc’s success is rooted in his propensity for staying on the cutting edge of his area of practice, enabling him to recognize emerging trends confronting the insurance industry and then working to ensure his clients are prepared to meet and overcome those challenges.

“Much of my practice didn’t exist 15 years ago,” Marc said. “When we talk about cybersecurity, data privacy, cryptocurrency, virtual assets: Those are relatively new terms to the industry, and I’ve been in the industry with respect to those practice areas since almost Day One, handling some pretty significant matters arising out of not only cybersecurity issues and data breaches, but also with the rise of cryptocurrency and virtual assets. What we’re seeing is a big increase in the number of disputes related to those assets, not only from a risk perspective, but also from a fraud perspective.

“We’re also seeing now with cryptocurrency and Initial Coin Offerings many people alleging they were duped, and as a result I’ve represented many individuals that have partaken in the cryptocurrency space, either as an advisor, or as part of a company that offers cryptocurrency, and defending them in class-action litigation as well as single-plaintiff litigation,” Marc added. “These are the types of opportunities that are emerging, and the most recent one, of course, is artificial intelligence. I like to consider my practice forward-thinking, but when you really think about it, it’s just addressing current risks, and many of them are risks that have echoes of the familiar risks that we’ve heard all along.”

With current federal policy now focused on expanding the cryptocurrency industry, Marc said he anticipates new challenges for his clients.

“I think litigation is going to pick up with respect to cryptocurrency because people are now saying, ‘Well, the individuals offering these coins are certainly wealthy, or at least have good backing, so you can go after them.’ But what we’re also seeing is a wholesale adoption, at least at the federal level, of these types of coins and virtual assets and cryptocurrency. Hopefully we’re going to get some regulation, and limited regulation is good because it provides guidelines in terms of how one has to conduct themselves within an industry. So, that would be a benefit to our clients and we’re going to be advising them on that. We’re going to step in when there is a problem and we’re going to advise them on how best to resolve those problems.”

That kind of steadfast commitment to pro-active client service, Marc noted, is what sets Goldberg Segalla apart from other firms.

“There’s a huge passion in servicing clients here and making sure that not only does the client get value for their money, but also successful resolutions to their issues.”

At its core, the insurance industry is about building and fostering relationships and taking the time to truly understand your clients’ business, Marc said.

“If you don’t understand the client’s business and the risks that they that they face, not only with respect to the matter that you might be handling but on an institutional basis, a lot can go wrong. You have to have that almost 360-vision for the client, even though the matter at hand may only require 180-degrees of vision,” he said. “Everything that I’ve done throughout my entire career is trying to meet and exceed the client’s expectations, be that in the delivery of work products or in the meeting of budgets. I’m really invested in trying to make sure that I can help my clients succeed.

“At this stage in my career, I can honestly say that what keeps me motivated is winning the next case. I enjoy succeeding. I enjoy helping my clients do better in business. I enjoy providing advice that adds value,” Marc said. “I love watching my clients grow.”