Vivek Rao emphasizes client-tailored, practical approaches to helping businesses maximize the tremendous commercial opportunities and evolving legal challenges of the technology economy.

His clients range from Fortune 500 companies in highly regulated industries to family-owned New England businesses to sophisticated start-ups commercializing innovative software and data-driven services.

Vivek focuses his practice in the following areas:

  • Technology Transactions: negotiating technology licensing and services agreements for businesses procuring and offering mission-critical technology and services, including in the banking, health care, and higher education industries.
  • Data Privacy Compliance: evaluating and addressing risk under evolving data privacy regulations, including drafting compliant policies, negotiating important service provider agreements, and responding to data security incidents and the federal and state regulatory investigations and enforcement actions that often ensue.
  • Consumer-Facing IP Terms: drafting bespoke terms and conditions governing end-user access to core software products, mobile applications, video games, artificial intelligence solutions, and other valuable intellectual property.
  • Brand Protection: clearance, prosecution and enforcement of trademarks.
  • Marketing Management: advice on managing marketing channels in compliance with privacy regulations and other consumer protection laws.
  • Technology M&A Diligence: buy-side and sell-side evaluation of technology-related opportunities and risk.

Working out of Pierce Atwood’s Boston and Portland offices, Vivek takes great pride in connecting clients with expert colleagues throughout the firm to ensure efficient expert advice across subject areas.

Before joining Pierce Atwood, Vivek was an associate with Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, a litigation boutique in Washington, D.C. He previously completed clerkships with Judge Catherine C. Eagles of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and Judge Michael Daly Hawkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Vivek has degrees from MIT and the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. At Berkeley Law, he was a member of the Order of the Coif, won the McBaine Moot Court Competition, and served as Senior Supervising Editor for the California Law Review and a member of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal.

Publications
  • Co-author, Chapter on Licensing, AHLA Telehealth Law Handbook - A Practical Guide to Virtual Care (2018)