Joel Bruckman is a Partner in the Litigation Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP. Mr. Bruckman was a Partner at Freeborn & Peters, which combined with SGR in 2023.
Mr. Bruckman’s practice focuses on insurance non-compete and complex general commercial litigation matters. He also has extensive experience in White-Collar criminal investigations and post-indictment matters including allegations of Fraud, Theft, Embezzlement, Money Laundering and Anti-Trust Violations under The Sherman Act, Wire Fraud and private-sector Honest Services Fraud. As a former member of the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Task Force during his time as a prosecutor for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, he regularly advises clients on data security incident response strategies and best practices, from initial discovery and computer forensics investigations through statutory /regulatory notification compliance and subsequent government investigation and private-party litigation.
Mr. Bruckman is a regular speaker on Cyber-Security issues and best practices. He has presented continuing legal education seminars for attorneys, spoken to professional and trade associations as well as lead trainings for some of the nation’s largest retailers and law enforcement agencies at all levels of government.
Prior to joining Freeborn (now SGR), Mr. Bruckman was a member of the Cyber Security & Data Privacy Practice Group at Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, LLP. He also served as Assistant State’s Attorney in the Special Prosecutions Bureau – Financial Crimes & Public Corruption Unit of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. There he served as Squad Leader of the Cook County Cyber Crimes Training Workgroup and was a member of the Cook County State’s Attorney & FBI – Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Mr. Bruckman received his B.S. from Indiana University and his J.D. from The John Marshall School of Law. He was honored on the Dean’s List at both schools.
Board of Directors, Chicago Lighthouse Junior Board
Executive Board Member, Cook County Regional Organized Crime Task Force
Co-Chair, The Chicago Lighthouse Junior Board
Board of Managers, Decalogue Society of Lawyers
Author, “Client Alert: Strengthening American Cybersecurity Act: For Many, a 72 Hour Notification Deadline is Coming,” Freeborn & Peters LLP (March 23, 2022).
Author, “New Cyber-Attack Vector Log4Shell One of the Most Concerning Exploits Needs to Be On Your Radar,” Freeborn & Peters LLP (December 15, 2021).
Author, “Client Alert: Facilitating Ransomware Ransom Payments OFAC Issues Guidance to Avoid Enforcement Actions and Penalties,” Freeborn & Peters LLP (October 28, 2021).
Co-Author, “Client Alert: Digital Accessibility and Website ADA Compliance,” Freeborn & Peters LLP (July 21, 2021).