Attorneys

Diana J. P. McKenzie

Partner

200 E. Saint Julian Street
P.O. Box 9848
Savannah, GA 31412
Tel 912.236.0261
Fax 912.236.4936

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EDUCATION

Emory University School of Law: J.D., 1985

Emory University Goizueta Business School: M.B.A., 1985

Kenyon College: B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1981

LICENSED TO PRACTICE

Georgia

Illinois

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

ITech Law Association: President, 2002-2003; Board of Directors, 1997-2003; Officer, 2000-2003; Advisory Board, 2003-Present

Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society: Senior Member, 2002-Present

Technology Association of Georgia: Savannah Chapter, Advisory Board

Healthcare Information Technology Strategies Newsletter: Advisory Board

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Savannah Logistics Technology Corridor: Co-Founder, 2017-Present

Creative Coast: Board of Directors, 2019-Present

Greater Island Council of Hilton Head Island: Member

WomenOnCall.org: Advisory Board, 2007-2017

Economic Development Corporation of Hilton Head Island: Board of Directors, 2012-2016

Experience

Diana McKenzie is a partner and chair of HunterMaclean’s information technology and outsourcing practice group. She is internationally recognized for her work in information technology and outsourcing matters and is best known for her ability to provide practical, efficient, and strategic legal counsel.

Diana has practiced exclusively in information technology and privacy law since 1985. This experience gives her the breadth and depth to offer an unparalleled sophisticated and holistic perspective on her clients’ business and legal challenges. She has extensive experience with issues unique to the health care technology industry.

Diana is a nationally recognized writer and internationally recognized speaker in information technology, outsourcing law, and cybersecurity/privacy law. She has given over 170 speeches in fifty cities across the United States and in fourteen countries in Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia. Diana has published over fifty articles in various periodicals such as the Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance, The Licensing Journal, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Journal, and the Computer and Internet Lawyer. She has been quoted over 100 times in various periodicals such as the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Miami Herald, and Computerworld Magazine. Diana also has a background in computer programming.

Diana graduated from Kenyon College, magna cum laude, with honors in Political Science in 1981. She earned both her M.B.A. and J.D. from Emory University in 1985. Prior to joining HunterMaclean, she practiced at a major Chicago law firm where she founded and ran the information technology law practice group. Other leadership experience includes running the U.S. contracting for one of the top health care technology vendors. She has also served on the Management Committee for the first information technology law boutique in the country.

Recognition

Best Lawyers in America: Information Technology Law, 2006-Present

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most highly-respected peer review guide to the legal profession worldwide. A listing in Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers.

Who’s Who Legal, The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers: 2008-Present

Since 1996 Who’s Who Legal has identified the foremost legal practitioners in multiple areas of business law.

Top 12 Healthcare Technology Law Attorneys: Health Data Management, 2017

Diana J. P. McKenzie was featured in this article by Health Data Management on the “12 Healthcare IT Law Attorneys You Should Know.”

Georgia Trend Magazine Legal Elite: 2012

Georgia Trend Magazine’s annual listing of Georgia’s top attorneys, selected by their peers. The list includes eight practice areas: business law; personal injury litigation; criminal law; labor and employment; taxes, estates and trusts; bankruptcy and creditors’ rights; family law; and general practice/trial law.

Georgia Super Lawyers: 2010

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

Corporate Counsel Super Lawyers: 2010

Chicago Magazine: Top 50 Women Lawyers in Illinois, 2009

Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business: Illinois, 2005-2009

(no category listing available in Georgia)

Chambers USA ranks the leading firms and lawyers in an extensive range of practice areas throughout America.

Illinois Super Lawyers: 2004-2009

Martindale-Hubbell: AV Rated

The Martindale-Hubbell® PEER REVIEW RATINGS™ are an objective indicator of a lawyer’s high ethical standards and professional ability, generated from evaluations of lawyers by other members of the bar and the judiciary in the United States and Canada.

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Publications & Presentations

Publications

COVID-19 and Artificial Intelligence: How the Pandemic has Re-Ignited a Focus on Software

In their article for Savannah Morning News, Diana McKenzie and Nicole Pope discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the focus on AI as developers rush to create software that can help businesses reduce the risks for employees returning to work.

14 Cybersecurity Clauses to Know for Healthcare Technology Contracts

While we are now seeing more security-related provisions in healthcare IT agreements than we once did, most vendor form agreements still lack necessary provisions that customers should require. Diana McKenzie and Nicole Pope discuss this problem further in their article for Law.com.

What Really Matters in Negotiating IT Outsourcing Contracts

Handout by Diana J. P. McKenzie at presentation to the Association of Corporate Counsel Georgia Chapter in Atlanta, Georgia, in October 2014.

Licensor and Licensee Dealmaking Tips to Reduce Data Privacy and Security Risks

This article by Diana J. P. McKenzie for Bloomberg BNA addresses data privacy and security issues that frequently arise over the life span of a complex software license and services deal, and presents dealmaking tips that could be used to mitigate potential risks.

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Presentations

Artificial Intelligence: Practical and Legal Implications

Diana J. P. McKenzie participated as a panelist in this webinar for the virtual World Technology Law Conference on May 28, 2020. A recording of the webinar is available to watch online.

Negotiating Healthcare Information Technology Agreements

Presented by Diana J. P. McKenzie at the virtual PLI Healthcare Technology 2020 Conference on May 27, 2020.

Meet the Presidents: Discussion of Emerging IT Legal Trends to celebrate ITechLaw’s 15th year in India

Presented by Diana J. P. McKenzie at ITechLaw’s 2019 International Asia Conference in Bangalore, India, on January 31, 2019.

Emerging Technology & Trends

Diana J. P. McKenzie served as moderator of this panel discussion at the ITechLaw 2018 World Technology Law Conference in Seattle, Washington, in May 2018.

Legal Potpourri in the Digital Age: Social Media, Text Messaging, Mobile Health and More

Presented by Diana J. P. McKenzie at the HIMSS 2014 Midwest Fall Technology Conference in Chicago, Illinois, in November 2014

What Really Matters in Negotiating IT Outsourcing Contracts

Presented by Diana J. P. McKenzie to the Association of Corporate Counsel Georgia Chapter in Atlanta, Georgia, in October 2014.

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News

31 HunterMaclean Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2022

Thirty-one attorneys from HunterMaclean were recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^© 2022. Founded in 1983, Best Lawyers is an annual publication that recognizes attorneys for outstanding achievements in their areas of practice.

29 HunterMaclean Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021

HunterMaclean Announces Pandemic Response Team

COVID-19 has created unanticipated challenges for businesses of every size and across every industry. To assist clients, HunterMaclean has established a Pandemic Response Team.

HunterMaclean Attorney Diana McKenzie Selected by Daily Report as Georgia Trailblazer

HunterMaclean is honored to announce that attorney Diana McKenzie has been selected as a 2019 Georgia Trailblazer by Daily Report.

25 HunterMaclean Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020

23 HunterMaclean Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2019

HunterMaclean is pleased to announce that 23 attorneys from the firm were recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^© 2019. Best Lawyers is an annual publication that recognizes attorneys for outstanding achievements in their area of practice.

The Brunswick News: Panel: Cyber threats up in 2017

HunterMaclean’s Brunswick Critical Issues Forum on Cybersecurity took place on October 12, 2017. Tyler H. Jones of The Brunswick News covered the event.

23 HunterMaclean Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2018

HunterMaclean is pleased to announce that 23 attorneys from the firm were recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^© 2018. Best Lawyers recognizes attorneys for significant achievements in their area of practice.

SMN: HunterMaclean Forum Tackles Cybersecurity Issues

HunterMaclean’s Critical Issues Forum on Cybersecurity took place Thursday, April 27. Mary Carr Mayle covered the event in this article for the Savannah Morning News.

21 HunterMaclean Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2017

HunterMaclean is pleased to announce that 21 attorneys were recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^© 2017. Best Lawyers, which is published annually in almost 70 countries, recognizes attorneys for outstanding achievements in their area of practice.

Diana J. P. McKenzie to Present at 24th Annual Technology Law Conference

HunterMaclean Information Technology partner and chair Diana J. P. McKenzie is a speaker at the upcoming Technology Law Conference in Seattle, WA. On Tuesday, December 15, Ms. McKenzie will present Security and Other New Provisions You Need in Your Technology Contracts Now.

20 HunterMaclean Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2016

HunterMaclean, a leading business law firm with offices in Savannah and Brunswick, is pleased to announce that 20 attorneys from the firm were selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2016.

HunterMaclean Attorneys Selected For The Best Lawyers in America® 2015

HunterMaclean is pleased to announce that 22 lawyers from the firm were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2015.

HunterMaclean Partner Diana McKenzie Speaks on Outsourcing and Contract Law in Belgium

Diana McKenzie, a HunterMaclean partner, spoke at the 2014 International Federation of Computer Law Associations (IFCLA) in Antwerp, Belgium, on “IT and Contracts: Outsourcing.” McKenzie has been practicing exclusively in information technology and outsourcing law for more than 25 years and is a nationally recognized writer and internationally recognized speaker.

Island Packet: Hilton Head Economic Development Board Wants to Triple its Budget

The publicly-funded Economic Development Corporation of Hilton Head Island wants to triple its budget so it can attract cutting-edge businesses and younger residents to the area. The board is asking for nearly $450,000 from the town for fiscal year 2015.

TAG Radio Tech Talk with Diana J. P. McKenzie

It isn’t often that your practice gets compared to both Star Trek 3-D chess and the TV reality show Survivor, but that’s exactly what happened to Diana J. P. McKenzie, chair of the HunterMaclean Information Technology and Outsourcing practice area, in this podcast.

25 HunterMaclean Attorneys Selected for The Best Lawyers in America® 2014

HunterMaclean is pleased to announce that 25 lawyers from the firm were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2014.

Record Number of HunterMaclean Attorneys Selected for Georgia Trend’s 2012 “Legal Elite” Issue

Georgia Trend honored 14 HunterMaclean attorneys in the magazine’s annual “Legal Elite” issue, which recognizes the top attorneys in the state of Georgia.

28 HunterMaclean Attorneys Among 'Best'

HunterMaclean, a business law firm with offices in Savannah and Brunswick, has announced that 28 lawyers from the firm were selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2013.

Attorney Diana J. P. McKenzie to Address IT and Computer Law Conferences in Dayton and Munich

Internationally Recognized HunterMaclean Partner Focuses on Complex Contractual Agreements

Attorney Diana J. P. McKenzie, the leader of HunterMaclean’s Information Technology and Outsourcing Practice Group, will serve as a featured speaker at the University of Dayton School of Law’s Computer and Cyberspace Law Seminar in Dayton, Ohio on June 8 and at the International Federation of Computer Law Associations (IFCLA) in Munich, Germany on June 22.

Attorney Diana McKenzie to be Featured Speaker at HIMSS12 Healthcare IT Conference in Las Vegas

Attorney Diana J. P. McKenzie, the leader of HunterMaclean’s Information Technology and Outsourcing Practice Group, will speak at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s HIMSS12 conference, which will take place February 20-24, 2012 in Las Vegas at the Venetian Sands Expo Center.

HIMSS12 is a conference that features top industry leaders who share their insights and lessons in more than 300 educational sessions in 23 topic areas regarding healthcare IT. The conference expects to attract more than 30,000 attendees from around the world with more than 1,000 exhibitors.

Record Number of HunterMaclean Attorneys Selected for The Best Lawyers in America for 2012

HunterMaclean, a leading business law firm with offices in Savannah and Brunswick, is pleased to announce that Best Lawyers in America, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, recently honored a record 23 HunterMaclean attorneys by including them on this prestigious list of leading lawyers.

“We are delighted to have a record number of attorneys from our firm featured on this year’s Best Lawyers in America list,” said Frank S. Macgill, HunterMaclean’s managing partner. “This honor reflects hard work on the part of the firm’s partners and associates.”

Risk and Reward in the Cloud, quoted in Healthcare-Informatics.com (May 2012).
Negotiating Maximum Cloud Uptime From Service Providers, quoted in SearchHealthIT.com (September 2011).
Health Care Cloud Offers Some Risks, Endless Possibilities, quoted in SearchHealthIT.com (June 2011).
When Negotiating Health IT Contracts, Try to Get Extra Warranties, quoted in SearchHealthIT.com (February 2011).
Good Practice: Outsourcing Health IT Can Save You Headaches, Not Money, quoted in CMIO (September 2010).
Site Helps Match Female Volunteers, Nonprofits, quoted in Island Packet (January 2010).

Record Number of HunterMaclean Attorneys Selected for The Best Lawyers in America for 2011

The Best Lawyers in America® for 2011, a confidential peer-review survey, recently honored a record 28 HunterMaclean attorneys by including them on this prestigious list of leading lawyers. Last year, 20 attorneys at HunterMaclean earned this top honor.

“We’re delighted to have a record number of attorneys from our firm featured on this year’s Best Lawyers in America list,” said Frank S. Macgill, HunterMaclean’s managing partner. “Our attorneys work hard for our clients and it shows.”

Information Technology Attorney Milton L. Petersen Joins HunterMaclean as Partner in IT Practice Group

Accomplished attorney Milton L. Petersen recently joined HunterMaclean as a partner and member of the firm’s Information Technology Practice Group.

A leading information technology attorney, Petersen has a successful, established practice, with more than 10 years of experience in the area of information technology, healthcare technology, and outsourcing. Before joining HunterMaclean, he was a partner at a major law firm in Chicago, where he counseled public and private sector clients on a wide variety of IT-related transactions and issues. Over the years, his clients have ranged from technology start-ups to Fortune 100 companies.

Diana J. P. McKenzie Moderates sessions at the 2009 ItechLaw Annual European Conference

Diana J. P. McKenzie will moderate Hot Issues in eHealth and Healthcare Technology at the 2009 Information Technology Law Assciation’s Annual Conference. The topic includes several sessions: “Electronic medical records and initiatives,” “Critical provisions in your healthcare technology contracts,” “The users’ perspective,” and “The vendors’ perspective.”

Diana J. P. McKenzie has a nationwide practice focused on providing practical and strategic legal advice to clients on significant technology, privacy and security, and electronic commerce transactions.

Diana J. P. McKenzie joins HunterMaclean as leader of the firm's new Information Technology Practice Group.

Accomplished attorney Diana J. P. McKenzie recently joined HunterMaclean as a partner and leader of the firm’s new Information Technology Practice Group.

One of the world’s leading information technology attorneys, McKenzie has a successful, established practice in the area of information technology and outsourcing. Before joining HunterMaclean, she was a partner at a major law firm in Chicago, where she founded and chaired the firm’s Information Technology Practice Group.

HunterMaclean Launches New Information Technology Practice Group

HunterMaclean recently launched a new Information Technology Practice Group. The Firm’s newest practice group provides clients with effective, practical and dynamic solutions to technology-related contracting and legal compliance needs.

“In recent years, our clients have demonstrated an increasing need for legal expertise in the field of information technology law,” said John M. Tatum, managing partner at HunterMaclean. “As a result, we have created a dedicated practice group that provides cutting-edge information technology solutions for our clients, from negotiating outsourcing and other technology contracts to developing electronic commerce service agreements.”

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Videos & Podcasts

Podcasts

Podcast: Diana McKenzie on the TAG Radio Series 'Tech Talk'

Diana McKenzie is interviewed on the Technology Association of Georgia’s Tech Talk Radio about her Information Technology and Outsourcing practice. The interview includes examples of how complex IT law can get, leading her host to liken to her work to Star Trek 3-D chess.

Podcast: Diana McKenzie on the Creative Coast 'Front Porch'

Creative Coast Executive Director Bea Wray interviews Diana J.P. McKenzie about the HunterMaclean Information Technology practice, which Diana chairs.