WilmerHale Sued Over Client Personal Information Data Breach

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr should pay millions of dollars in damages for loss of clients’ personal information in a May data breach, a putative class action claims.

The lawsuit , filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks negligence and contract damages on behalf of “thousands” of WilmerHale clients that could have been impacted by a data breach discovered by the Washington-based international firm in early May.

The complaint claims clients were notified by the firm on July 10 that their personal information could have been obtained by hackers.

“Defendant disregarded the rights of Representative Plaintiff and Class Members by intentionally, willfully, recklessly and/or negligently failing to take and implement adequate and reasonable measures to ensure that Representative Plaintiff’s and Class Members’ Private Information was safeguarded,"said lead plaintiff Jason Perry, a Las Vegas man who claimed to be a firm client.

Data breach suits against major law firms are common, as these firms hold vast amounts of private information that could be tapped by criminals in identity fraud schemes. Within the last year similar suits have been brought against Blank Rome , Wiley Rein , Fried Frank , and Pillsbury Winthrop .

WilmerHale issued a statement saying that it regretted this breach, which was “isolated” and “quickly contained,” and is enhancing firm security.

“An unauthorized third party that has been targeting firms across the legal industry recently obtained a limited set of information from the Firm,” a WilmerHale spokesperson said in a statement.

The firm said the hacker didn’t “directly access the firm’s systems or network,” and the firm has no evidence that the hacker has “misused or disclosed” client information.

Wise Law Firm and Cole & Van Note represent the lead plaintiff.

The case is Perry v. Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP , D.D.C., No. 1:26-cv-02470, complaint filed 7/14/26.

Bloomberg Law provides trusted coverage of current events enhanced with legal analysis.

Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.