Eileen R. Ridley
Partner
San Francisco
415.438.6469
Los Angeles
Eileen R. Ridley is a partner and litigation lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. Eileen has tried over 40 cases
(both bench and jury matters) and arbitrated in excess of 200 cases. Her experience includes handling
complex commercial matters for a variety of industries including the high-tech, oil and gas,
telecommunications, construction, insurance, and health care industries. She is the firm’s Chief Diversity &
Inclusion Partner, a role in which she is a catalyst for and leader in carrying out the firm’s commitment to
diversity. Eileen was formerly a member of the firm’s national Management Committee and is vice chair of the
Litigation Department. She is co-chair of the Privacy, Security & Information Management Practice and is
former managing partner of the firm’s San Francisco office. Eileen is a member of the Insurance &
Reinsurance Litigation; Construction; Appellate; Intellectual Property Litigation; Business Litigation & Dispute
Resolution; Trademark, Copyright & Advertising; Labor & Employment; and Privacy, Security & Information
Management Practices, as well as the Insurance & Reinsurance Industry and Food & Beverage Industry
Teams.
Eileen’s work has involved antitrust and class actions (including multi-district and joint jurisdiction actions),
unfair competition, trade secret and copyright matters, product liability claims, environmental claims (including
CERCLA and CEQA), insurance coverage litigation, ERISA litigation, commercial disputes, and employment
issues. She also has a vast knowledge base in insurance coverage and litigation issues regarding a wide
variety of insurance programs. Through Eileen’s appellate practice, she has briefed and/or appeared before
California’s State Appellate Courts, the California Supreme Court, the 9th Circuit and the 7th Circuit.
Awards and Recognition
Eileen has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-
Hubbell’s peer review rating system and in 2005 was named as one of the “Bay Area’s Best Lawyers in
Appellate Practice” by Bay Area Lawyer Magazine. She was also selected for inclusion in the Northern
California Super Lawyers® lists in 2008-2016. In 2012 and 2016, she was recognized by the Legal 500 for
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her work in insurance: advice to insurers.
Presentations and Publications
2004 Business Litigation Conference – jointly sponsored with Corporate Legal Times and Martindale-
Hubbell – “Maximizing the Protection of Privileged Communications”
Mealey’s, Inc. Coverage Disputes Concerning Construction Defects Conference– “Contractual Liability
Coverage” (October 2004)
California State Bar Convention –”Fifty Years After Brown: Examining Bias in the Legal Profession”
(October 2004)
The Daily Practice of Attorney-Client Privilege – Web Conference Series for Corporate Counsel
(September 15, 2005)
Information, Security and Privacy – The Rutter Group (November 2007)
Privacy & Nondiscrimination in Genetic Testing – Webcast with West’s Publishing (August 2008)
Data Privacy and Security Best Practices for High Tech Companies, Manufacturers and Franchisors –
Presentation at Foley’s Drive Your Business Forward: Distribution and Franchise Law Update
(September 2008)
Foley NewsFeed: Foley Quarterly Food & Beverage Industry Web Conference Series (March 2009)
Certifications
Eileen holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) and the Certified
Information Privacy Professionals/European (CIPP/E) credentials, a global gold standard and key industry
benchmark accredited by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
Articles
“Construction’s Four-Letter Word,” The Recorder (April 30, 2004)
“AB758: The Evolving Relationship Between Builder and Subcontractor,” California Real Estate Journal
(January 23, 2006)
“Managing The Risk of Employee Blogs,” Midwest In-House Magazine (February 1, 2007)
“Unmasking the Anonymous Internet User, The Recorder (April 16, 2008)
“Workplace Privacy and Employer Monitoring,” BNA’s Privacy & Security Law Report (July 2008)
“Unresolved Questions: When Are Actual Damages Required in Stored Communications Act Cases?” –
BNA’s Privacy & Security Law Report (April 13, 2009)
Published Cases
Kendall v. Visa U.S.A., Inc., et al., 518 F.3d 1042 (9th Cir. 2008)
Reyn’s Pasta Bella, LLC, et al. v. VISA, U.S.A., Inc., et. al. 442 F.3d 741 (9th Cir., March 27, 2006)
Reyn’s Pasta Bella, LLC v. VISA, U.S.A., Inc., et al. 259 F. Supp.2d 992 (N.D. Ca. 2003)
Somerset Marine, Inc. v. Forespar Products Corp., 876 F.Supp. 1114 (C.D. Ca 1994)
Sectors
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Food & Beverage
Health Care & Life Sciences
Health Tech & Genomics
Innovative Technology
Practice Areas
Antitrust & Competition
Appellate
Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Construction
Consumer Law, Finance & Class Action Group
Cybersecurity
Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation
FTC Consumer Protection
Financial Institutions
IP Litigation
Insurance & Reinsurance Litigation
Labor & Employment
Labor & Employment Class Actions
Litigation
Patent Litigation
Privacy, Security & Information Management
Product Liability
Regulatory Compliance
State Attorneys General
Trade Secret Noncompete Litigation
Trademark, Copyright & Advertising Counseling
Trademark, Copyright & Advertising Litigation
Union/Employer Matters
Education
Santa Clara University Law School
Emery Law Scholar
University of Notre Dame (B.A.)
Admissions
All federal, state, and appellate courts in California and Hawaii
7th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas
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United States District Court – Northern District of Ohio
United States District Court – Western District of Oklahoma
District of Columbia
U.S. Supreme Court
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