Butzel Long attorney Claudia Rast named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s ‘Leaders in the Law’

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Butzel Long attorney and shareholder
Claudia Rast is one of 30 attorneys named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” Class of 2015. Honorees will be recognized at a luncheon and awards celebration on March 26, 2015, at the Detroit Marriott Troy. “Leaders in the Law” are honored, among other things, for:

• Significant accomplishments or achievements in law practice;
• Outstanding contributions to the practice of law in Michigan;
• Leadership in improving the justice system in Michigan;
• Seeking improvements to the legal community and their communities at large; and,
• Setting an example for other lawyers.

Rast, based in Butzel Long's Ann Arbor office, focuses her practice on blending law, business, and technology. She assists companies in their strategic choice and use of technology, counseling companies on issues related to business and technology, particularly in the areas of privacy, cybersecurity, data analytics, intellectual property licensing and registration, and the forensic preservation and analysis of electronically stored information.

At the same time, Rast is an experienced environmental lawyer, focusing on alternative energy and sustainability practices, including collaboration with her American Bar Association colleagues in support of the development of a global Rule of Law Index for environment and energy with the World Justice Project.

Nationally, Rast was appointed to serve on the American Bar Association's Presidential Cybersecurity Legal Task Force, where task force members work to inform and educate the Bar about the risks posed by criminals, terrorists and nations that seek to steal personal and financial information, disrupt critical infrastructure, and wage cyberwar.

Locally, Rast is a Board Member of the Clean Energy Coalition (CEC), where she developed the legal framework for the DOE's $15M grant to the CEC for the Michigan Green Fleets project and the Michigan Public Service Commission's $4.5M grant for the Cities of Promise program. Moreover, she is a Board member for Ann Arbor's New Enterprise Forum, where she coaches technology start-ups in their efforts to connect with management expertise, venture capital, and business partners.

Rast is a frequent speaker on matters ranging from Cybersecurity, Privacy, Data Breach, eDiscovery, and Social Media. She has written numerous articles for a variety of trade publications.

She is a member of the American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, where she has been involved in the leadership of the Section since 1999, including Chair of the Section in 2008-2009; Ann Arbor's New Enterprise Forum Board of Directors (2008-present); the Michigan League of Conservation Voters Board of Directors (2008-2013); and, ICLE's Technology Training Advisory Board (1998-present). In 2001, she was the only lawyer named as a Technology Industry Leader in Crain's Detroit Business, and in 2003 the Ann Arbor Chapter of American Women in Computing named her as one of 20 "Top Michigan Women in Computing."

Rast is a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.S., Natural Resources) and cum laude graduate of the University of Detroit School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Detroit Law Review.

In 2014, Rast successfully completed the four-week online program, "Tackling the Challenges of Big Data," developed and taught by the faculty of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in collaboration with MIT Professional Education.