Thomas Smedinghoff

Thomas J. Smedinghoff is a partner in the Privacy, Data Security, and Information Law Practice at the law firm of Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon LLP in Chicago.  His practice focuses on the developing field of information law and electronic businss activities, with an emphasis on information security and privacy issues, electronic transactions, and the corporate use and management of information generally.

Mr Smedinghoff has been actively involved in developing e-business and information security legal policy, both in the US and globally.  He currently serves as a member of the US Delegation to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group on Electronic Commerce, where he participated in negotiation of the 2005 United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.  He chaired the Illinois Commission on Electronic Commerce and Crime (1996-1998) that wrote the Illinois Electronic Commerce Security Act.  He also served as an American Bar Association advisor to the Uniform Law Commission, where he participated in drafting the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) now enacted in 46 of the 50 states in the US.

Mr Smedinghoff currently chairs the International Policy Coordinating Committee of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Science & Technology Law.  Previously, he was chair of the ABA Section of Science & Technology Law (1999-2000) and chair of the ABA Electronic Commerce Division (1995-2003).

He is also the editor and primary author of the e-commerce book titled Online Law: The Legal Guide to Doing Business on the Internet (1996).