DLA Piper hires Kristy Balsanek as a partner in the firm's regulatory & government affairs group

DLA Piper hires Kristy Balsanek as a partner in the firm's regulatory & government affairs group

She was serving as a general counsel, chief compliance officer, and data privacy officer at Lidl US

DLA Piper has announced the addition of Washington, DC-based partner Kristy Balsanek to the firm's regulatory & government affairs group.

Having over 20 years of experience, practicing in global law firms and in-house, Balsanek focuses her practice on advising on core environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related risk areas. These include business ethics, corporate governance, director/officer duties, anti-corruption, sanctions, labor and human rights, global supply chain transparency, climate change, green initiatives, environmental marketing, privacy, and data protection.

Balsanek infuses a holistic, integrated and practical approach to ESG throughout businesses and organizations. A trusted advisor, she supports clients' transition towards creating long-term value and sustainability in a rapidly evolving legal and regulatory tapestry across the globe.

Edward 'Smitty' Smith, the chair of the regulatory and government affairs group at DLA Piper stated, "ESG is constantly changing in response to political, economic, business, and technological forces. In order to develop a practice capable of meeting client needs in a dynamic and complex field, we need industry veterans like Balsanek who have extensive experience in ESG, bringing both depth and diversity of experience in navigating this increasingly regulated marketplace."

William Minor, the managing partner of the firm's Washington, DC office commented, "Balsanek will be a valuable addition to our DC office, providing clients with comprehensive experience in a complex landscape while collaborating across practice groups and sectors."

Balsanek designs and implements risk-based compliance and governance programs, including risk assessment, corporate policies and procedures, third-party due diligence, M&A, internal and government investigations, reporting, disclosures, audits and training. She represents companies in compliance-related regulatory enforcement and litigation matters.

She also works with clients in negotiating complex agreements with key suppliers and strategic partners across all business departments, including logistics, procurement, purchasing, import/export, technology, finance, human resources, marketing, and corporate social responsibility towards optimal business outcomes while mitigating compliance risk.

In the past, Balsanek served as a general counsel for the North American divisions of two large international companies and as an international corporate compliance attorney at two global law firms.

As a general counsel, chief compliance officer and data privacy officer at Lidl US, a global grocery retail company headquartered in Germany, she oversaw and advised US, European and Asian management teams on a broad range of legal matters. She also led the management of the company's cross-functional business teams on ESG-related requirements.