State Attorneys General and the State's Role: The Front Lines of Tech Regulation

Join BKC for a lunchtime conversation with Julie Brill and Professor James Tierney on the evolving role of state attorneys general in technology enforcement and protecting the public. Drawing on their extensive experience in government and enforcement, the speakers will discuss how AG offices investigate and litigate cases, coordinate across states, and navigate challenges posed by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

The conversation will provide insight into the legal authorities, institutional structures, and strategic tools that shape state-level enforcement and consider how state action is influencing the broader landscape of technology governance.

Speakers

Julie Brill is recognized as a thought leader on technology, governance, and global regulation. A former Commissioner of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and former Chief Privacy Officer and Corporate Vice President for Global Privacy, Safety, and Regulatory Affairs at Microsoft, Julie has spent decades shaping how governments and companies approach data protection, privacy, and AI. Prior to her time at the FTC, Julie spent nearly two decades running consumer protection, privacy and competition teams in the offices of the State Attorneys General of North Carolina and Vermont. Julie is now an Expert in Residence at Harvard Law School.

Professor James Tierney is a Lecturer in Law at Harvard Law School. Since 2010, Mr. Tierney has taught courses on the role of state attorneys general and has directed the attorney general clinic. He taught a similar course at Columbia Law School from 2000 until 2016, where he was the Director of the National State Attorney General Program, and was a Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School in the Spring of 2018. He is currently the director of StateAG.org, which is an educational resource on the office of state attorney general. Mr. Tierney served as the Attorney General of Maine from 1980 until 1990.