Nyssa P. Chopra
Nyssa is a technology and privacy attorney who advises global clients on privacy, security, free speech, digital safety, and human rights issues associated with electronic communications and activity.
She regularly represents online platforms, communications providers, and other technologies on issues related to data disclosure, data preservation, content moderation, and content removal. These matters range from domestic and cross-border government demands for communications data in criminal investigations to intergovernmental agencies investigating atrocity crimes in humanitarian crises. In the area of cross-border digital evidence, Nyssa advises clients on issues arising from the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (CLOUD) Act, the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention), and other international and domestic mechanisms utilized by governments and litigants to obtain evidence from a platform in one country for use in another country. She also provides guidance on government search and seizure issues, and has worked with counsel in dozens of countries to help companies process non-U.S. requests for communications user data.
Additionally, Nyssa counsels communications providers on how to develop and implement compliance programs to handle law enforcement and third-party requests for user data, and offers product-counsel advice on complying with federal and state privacy laws including the Stored Communications Act (SCA) and Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) broadly.
Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Nyssa was corporate counsel at Microsoft. She managed the global trademark portfolio for various business groups, counseled senior level business executives on business and legal risks related to trademarks, and conducted negotiations with third parties for use and acquisition of marks. She also served on the Pro Bono Steering Committee.
In addition, Nyssa maintains an active pro bono practice, with a focus on immigration and international human rights. In partnership with the Seattle Clemency Project and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, she successfully helped a Cambodian refugee who was facing an imminent threat of deportation and helped to restore his lawful permanent resident status. Most recently, she helped Afghan refugees navigate the complexities of the humanitarian parole and asylum process.
Before beginning her legal career, Nyssa spent a few years on international human rights issues at the U.S. Department of State across Europe and Asia, was a Fulbright scholar in journalism in Germany, and co-founded a health and wellness company.
*Admitted only in Washington.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- University of Washington School of Law, J.D., Pro Bono Honors and FLAS Fellow, 2017
- London School of Economics and Political Science, M.Sc., Human Rights, 2011
- University of California, San Diego, B.A., Political Science and International Relations, 2007
Bar and Court Admissions
-
Washington
Related Employment
- Microsoft, Seattle, WA, Corporate Counsel, 2018-2020
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Seattle, WA, Law Clerk, 2016-2017
Additional Languages
- Hindi
- Punjabi
- Urdu
Professional Recognition
World Affairs Council Fellow, Seattle, 2022-2023
Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Technology Law, 2023-2025
Listed "Top 40 Young Lawyers On the Rise," American Bar Association, 2022
Washington Leadership Institute Fellow, Washington State Bar Association, 2022
Aspen NextGen Fellow, Aspen Institute, 2021-2022
Fulbright Scholar, Journalism, U.S. Department of State, 2009-2010
Impact
Professional Leadership
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), Mentor, 2021-present
- Legal Services Corporation (LSC), Emerging Leaders Council Member, 2020-present
Community Involvement
- Legal Services Corporation (LSC), Emerging Leaders Council Member, 2020-present
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), Mentor, 2021
- Washington Lawyers for the Arts, Board Member, 2018-2020