Jones Foster Shareholder Robert W. Wilkins Appointed Co-Chair of The Florida Bar Cybersecurity & Privacy Law Committee

Jones Foster is proud to announce that Litigation Shareholder Robert W. Wilkins has been appointed co-chair of The Florida Bar’s Standing Committee on Cybersecurity & Privacy Law (CPL) for the 2026-27 term, effective July 1.

Mr. Wilkins will serve alongside fellow co-chair Charles “Chuck” Bowen, Corporate Counsel for Citizens Property Insurance, where they will guide the committee's initiatives, educational programming, and outreach efforts focused on cybersecurity risk management, privacy compliance, and emerging legal developments impacting attorneys and their clients’ sensitive data.

Mr. Wilkins was one of 36 attorneys when he joined the committee in 2024, a number that has since increased to nearly 140 members in 2026. Previously, he served as the CPL Committee’s Planning Subcommittee Chair, where he organized and participated in seminars and webinars, developing programming to advance cybersecurity education for lawyers and law firms. He frequently serves as a featured panelist during CLE seminars, speaking at the 2025 and 2026 Florida Bar Conventions and to local bar associations on topics such as cybersecurity threat awareness, incident response planning, data breach preparation and response, cybersecurity insurance, and third-party vendor agreements.

The CPL Committee is a “first of its kind” panel of experts dedicated to advancing attorney awareness of cybersecurity and privacy issues affecting the legal profession. The committee works collaboratively with The Florida Bar's Technology Committee and other committees to develop cybersecurity best practices for law firms and practitioners, provide continuously updated resources on cybersecurity laws and regulations, and deliver educational programming and seminars on emerging issues.

Among its recent initiatives, the committee issued Recommendation 25-1 – Voluntary Implementation of Incident Response Plans, encouraging Florida attorneys and law firms to develop, implement, and annually review industry-compliant Incident Response Plans (IRPs).

The committee also serves as a resource for Florida attorneys representing clients across the country and internationally by providing information on cybersecurity and privacy laws in other jurisdictions, as well as guidance related to the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Rob Wilkins, co-chair of Jones Foster's Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice group, is a Florida Bar Board Certified Business Litigation attorney with over 35 years of experience as a trial lawyer. He represents clients in complex business litigation matters, including cybersecurity, data breach and related cyber incidents, construction, corporate, LLC and partnership disputes, and commercial real estate matters.

Mr. Wilkins has a deep understanding of technology-related legal issues, including eDiscovery, cybersecurity, data breach, and privacy law. He advises businesses and law firms on data breach regulations and reporting requirements, data mapping, incident response plans, compliance with cyber insurance requirements, state, federal and regulatory privacy related laws, rules and regulations, and oversees insurance carrier responses to cyber incidents to ensure protection of client confidential information and attorney client and work product protected data.

In addition to his service with The Florida Bar, Mr. Wilkins is an active member of The Sedona Conference Working Group 1, Electronic Document Retention and Production; Working Group 11, Data Security and Privacy Liability; and Working Group 13, AI and the Law. He is also a past co-chair of the E-Discovery Subcommittee and the Data Security Subcommittee of the American Bar Association (ABA) Litigation Section’s Commercial and Business Litigation Committee.

He is consistently recognized by peer-reviewed industry publications, including The Best Lawyers in America and Florida Super Lawyers, and holds an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, awarded to only those lawyers with the highest ethical standards and legal ability.