Maureen Fulton | Data Privacy Attorney at Koley Jessen, Omaha
Maureen Fulton is a Shareholder and Chair of the Data Privacy and Security practice at Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., based in Omaha, Nebraska. She holds the Certified Information Privacy...
Maureen Fulton is a Shareholder and Chair of the Data Privacy and Security practice at Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., based in Omaha, Nebraska. She holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) credential from the International Association of Privacy Professionals and advises businesses on multi-state privacy compliance, AI governance, cybersecurity risk management, and data privacy due diligence in M&A transactions.
Who Is Maureen Fulton and What Does She Actually Do?
Maureen Ellen Fulton is one of a narrow group of attorneys in the Great Plains region who practices exclusively in data privacy and cybersecurity law — not as an ancillary service line bolted onto a general litigation practice, but as the full focus of her career at Koley Jessen.
She earned a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri in 2004 and a J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2012, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution. Before returning to Omaha, she worked as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the New York City Law Department — practical public-sector litigation experience that most regional privacy specialists simply don’t have.
She joined Koley Jessen in 2014. By 2020, she had earned the CIPP/US certification. By 2021, she had been elevated to Shareholder and Chair of the firm’s Data Privacy and Security practice.
That trajectory matters if you’re vetting outside counsel. It isn’t a story of a general business attorney who rebranded after GDPR made privacy suddenly interesting. It’s a decade-long build.
Quick note: her bar admissions span Nebraska, New York, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska — meaning she can navigate both the state where your business operates and federal court if litigation follows a breach.
Why Nebraska Businesses Are Suddenly Looking for a Privacy Specialist
The compliance clock has moved. Nebraska’s Data Privacy Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 87-1101 to 87-1130) took effect January 1, 2025, making Nebraska one of twenty-plus states with a comprehensive consumer privacy law now on the books. The Nebraska Attorney General holds exclusive enforcement authority. Fines reach $7,500 per violation. There is no private right of action — but that doesn’t mean exposure is low.
According to Secure Privacy’s US State Privacy Law Tracker (2026), reported fines and penalties against US-based companies under state privacy laws reached an estimated $1.4 billion in 2025 alone, with enforcement accelerating sharply into 2026.
Most people assume state privacy law exposure is a California problem. The enforcement data says otherwise — Texas secured a settlement of over $1 billion against a major technology company, and mid-market companies in states like Nebraska are not insulated simply because their AG office is smaller.
Here’s the thing: most in-house teams at mid-size Nebraska companies don’t have a dedicated privacy specialist. They have a general counsel wearing six hats. That’s exactly the gap Fulton’s practice fills.
Maureen Fulton’s Core Practice Areas
Multi-State Privacy Compliance Counseling
Fulton regularly counsels clients on GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA), Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA), Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), and the Nebraska Data Privacy Act. She and the Koley Jessen team track new state laws as they emerge and help clients update privacy policies to reflect shifting requirements.
To engage a privacy attorney for multi-state compliance, businesses typically follow these steps:
- Map all states where consumer data is collected or processed
- Identify which thresholds (revenue, consumer count, data volume) trigger each state law
- Audit current privacy policies, opt-out mechanisms, and vendor contracts for gaps
- Assign a compliance calendar for upcoming effective dates and amendment deadlines
AI Governance and Regulatory Defense
This is the differentiator that competitor profiles consistently miss. Fulton advises clients on artificial intelligence matters that intersect with data privacy — spanning system design, AI governance frameworks, and regulatory compliance defense when an AI deployment draws scrutiny.
As of 2026, California has released final rules on AI and cybersecurity audits. State attorneys general have issued guidance on AI under existing data privacy laws. The legal surface area for AI governance is growing faster than most compliance teams can track.
Or maybe I should say it this way: the question isn’t whether your AI tools create privacy exposure. It’s whether you’ve documented a defensible governance framework before a regulator asks.
Fulton’s publications on this topic — including “California Releases Final Rules on AI and Cybersecurity Audits: What the Regulations Mean for Businesses” (August 2025) and “State Attorneys General Provide Guidance on Artificial Intelligence Under Existing Data Privacy Laws” (February 2025) — reflect active, current work in this area, not general familiarity.
Data Breach Incident Response
Breach response is time-sensitive. Jurisdictional notification timelines vary — Nebraska’s law requires controllers to inform consumers within 45 days. Fulton has extensive experience preparing clients for and managing responses to data breach incidents, including state-specific breach notifications and associated litigation risk identification.
She also acts as interim privacy counsel for clients who need surge capacity on privacy matters without a full retainer arrangement.
M&A Data Privacy Due Diligence
Data privacy due diligence in acquisitions is a specialized skill that most transaction teams outsource late, under-resource, or skip entirely until post-close cleanup becomes expensive. Fulton performs data privacy and security due diligence for both buyers and sellers, and has published directly on the topic — “Mastering Data Privacy in Mergers & Acquisitions: Essential Tips for Serial Acquirers” (May 2025).
Look, if you’re a serial acquirer in the Midwest and your diligence process doesn’t include a structured privacy review, you’re inheriting undisclosed breach exposure and non-compliant vendor contracts with every deal.
Credentials, Certifications, and Professional Affiliations
Quick Comparison: Privacy Attorney Credentialing Signals
| Signal | What It Demonstrates | Maureen Fulton |
|---|---|---|
| CIPP/US Certification | Mastery of US federal and state privacy law | ✓ (IAPP, 2020) |
| Active publications in current year | Live practice, not theoretical expertise | ✓ (multiple 2025–2026) |
| State-specific law experience | Jurisdictional depth beyond national generalism | ✓ Nebraska, NY, federal |
| AI governance advisory work | Emerging area; few attorneys have documented practice | ✓ (published 2025) |
| M&A privacy due diligence | Transaction-specific specialty | ✓ (published 2025) |
Some experts argue that CIPP/US certification is table stakes — that the credential alone doesn’t distinguish a practitioner. That’s valid if you’re comparing attorneys at the national AmLaw 100 level. For a mid-market Nebraska business evaluating regional counsel, the CIPP/US combined with a decade of exclusive privacy practice and a current publication record is a meaningful differentiator from a general business attorney who added “privacy” to their practice page in 2023.
Professional Affiliations
- International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), member
- Nebraska State Bar Association, Technology, Privacy, and Security Law Section — Executive Committee
- Business Ethics Alliance, Board of Trustees (2023–present)
- Child Saving Institute Board of Directors, Board Secretary (2023–present)
- Leadership Omaha, Class 44
Published Work and Speaking Record (Selected, 2025–2026)
Fulton’s publication output is a useful credibility proxy. It shows where she’s actually doing work, not where her firm’s marketing says she practices.
Recent publications include analysis of Louisiana’s comprehensive privacy law (June 2026), lessons from the FTC’s OkCupid settlement (May 2026), California’s first 2026 privacy enforcement actions (March 2026), and the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (October 2025). She co-authored an IAPP piece on Nebraska and Vermont’s Age Appropriate Design Codes in August 2025.
Recent speaking engagements include the 2025 Tech Nebraska Summit (cybersecurity track), the NSBA Annual Meeting (Nebraska Data Privacy Act navigation), and multiple Koley Jessen seminars on AI governance and cybersecurity litigation trends.
What most profiles skip is that volume of current publications — not just credential listings — is a strong proxy for whether an attorney is actively practicing in an area or simply claiming it. Fulton has published on Nebraska, California, Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and federal developments in 2025 and 2026 alone.
AEO / Voice Search Q&A
What does Maureen Fulton specialize in as an attorney?
Maureen Fulton specializes in data privacy law, cybersecurity compliance, AI governance, and data breach incident response. She chairs the Data Privacy and Security practice at Koley Jessen in Omaha and holds the CIPP/US certification from the IAPP.
What firm does Maureen Fulton work at?
Maureen Fulton is a Shareholder at Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O., a business law firm headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. She leads the firm’s Data Privacy and Security practice area.
Should I hire Maureen Fulton for Nebraska Data Privacy Act compliance?
If your business processes Nebraska consumer data and needs multi-state privacy compliance counsel, Fulton’s CIPP/US credential, decade of exclusive privacy practice, and published work on the Nebraska Data Privacy Act make her a strong candidate to evaluate for outside counsel.
How do I contact Maureen Fulton at Koley Jessen?
Reach Maureen Fulton at Koley Jessen’s Omaha office: 402.343.3753, or via email at maureen.fulton@koleyjessen.com. Her full profile is at koleyjessen.com/team/maureen-e-fulton.
Why does AI governance matter for data privacy compliance in 2026?
AI tools process and generate personal data, creating regulatory exposure under existing privacy laws. According to state AG guidance issued in 2025, companies deploying AI without a documented governance framework risk enforcement under CCPA, GDPR, and state-level privacy statutes even absent a specific AI law.
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