Al represents companies in a variety of complex commercial matters, particularly those involving data security and data privacy law. As co-chair of SHB’s Data Security & Data Privacy Practice, Al helps clients adopt administrative, technical and physical safeguards to proactively minimize the risks associated with a data breach, and he keeps his clients apprised of the rapidly changing data privacy laws that govern how companies may collect, store, use, and dispose of sensitive information. Al also oversees and leads data breach response efforts, advising clients of applicable laws, notifying affected third-parties, liaising with law enforcement, responding to regulatory inquiries, and representing clients in litigation. Al is a Certified Information Privacy Professional accredited by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and he maintains a blog (Data Security Law Journal) in which he discusses legal developments and trends in data security and data privacy law.

After graduating from Boston University School of Law, Al served as a staff attorney to former Chief Judge Martha C. Warner at Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach. For several years, Al defended companies in complex matters of all kinds, particularly those involving business disputes, appeals and personal injury claims, before developing a specialty in data security and data privacy law. Al co-chairs the South Florida KnowledgeNet, the local chapter of the International Association of Privacy Professionals. He is a member of the firm’s Technology Exchange Committee, the ABA’s Science and Technology Section, and the Dade County Bar Association’s Technology Committee. He frequently speaks on ways in which businesses can meet the challenges associated with the proliferation of sensitive electronic information, and in 2013, he was selected to join Law360’s Privacy & Consumer Protection Editorial Advisory Board.

Al has been included among South Florida Business Journal's "Top 40 Under 40" and Attorney At Law magazine's "Twelve to Watch in 2012." He was also named a "Top Up and Comer" in the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 editions of the South Florida Legal Guide; a "Rising Star" in the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 editions of Florida Super Lawyers magazine; and a 2010 "Mover and Shaker" by South Florida Business Leader.

Al is a member of the Executive Committee of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and was nominated as a 2013 “Man of the Year” for his efforts with the organization. Al also serves as a Big Brother in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Greater Miami program.

Publications and Presentations

Dissecting a Data Breach Claim (Panel Member), NetDiligence 2013 Cyber Risk & Privacy Liability Forum, June 6, 2013

Creating A Data Breach Response Plan (Moderator), Consortium on Litigation, Information Law, and E-Discovery, May 1, 2013

Emerging Data Security and Privacy Risks in 2013 (Panel Member), South Florida Chapter of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, April 19, 2013

Alfred J. Saikali & Rebecca Schwartz, Supreme Court Confirms Stringent Article III Standing Requirement for Privacy Cases, Data Security Alert, March 6, 2013 View

Alfred J. Saikali & Thérèse Miller, The White House Executive Order on Cybersecurity, Data Security Alert, February 13, 2013 View

Security Response and Breach Notification, 2012 Masters Conference, Washington, D.C., October 2012

Critical Conversations: Emerging Trends in Law and Accounting (Panel Member), South Florida Business Journal, September 20, 2012

Data Security and Computer Fraud in the Cloud (Moderator), Florida International Bankers Association, September 20, 2012

Alfred J. Saikali, Private Lawsuits Arising from Data Breaches - The Eleventh Circuit Weighs In, Data Security Alert, September 13, 2012 View

Marni M. Otjen, Thérèse P. Miller & Alfred J. Saikali, New Texas Law Imposes Requirements On Companies That Maintain Protected Health Information, Data Privacy Alert, August 28, 2012 View

Alfred J. Saikali, Google's $22.5 Million FTC Fine: Why Should Cos. Care?, Law360, August 20, 2012 View

Alfred J. Saikali, Why You May Have Suffered a Data Breach and Not Even Know It, Data Security Alert, August 3, 2012 View

Alfred J. Saikali, Can a Company be Liable for its Employee Installing File-Sharing Software?, Data Security Alert, June 14, 2012 View

Alfred J. Saikali, Data Security Questions Companies Should Consider, Data Security Alert, May 15, 2012 View

Anatomy of a Data Breach: Developments in Data Security and Cloud Computing Laws (Program Chair and Presenter), ABA Section of Litigation Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., April 2012

Alfred J. Saikali, Data Security Law Journal View

Alfred J. Saikali, Data Stored in Cloud Not Guaranteed to Remain Private, (Special Report: The Risks of Cloud Computing), Daily Business Review, October 11, 2011 View

International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), Certified Information Privacy Professional

South Florida KnowledgeNet (IAPP), Co-Chair (2013)

American Bar Association (Cloud Computing and E-Privacy Committees of the Science and Technology Section)

The Florida Bar (Civil Procedure Rules Committee), Vice Chair (2012-13)

The Florida Bar (Code and Rules of Evidence Committee), Vice Chair (2006-07)

Al is admitted to practice before the state courts of Florida, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.

1999   J.D., Boston University School of Law

1996   B.A., University of Florida