Kim T. Le is Head of the Simpson Thacher’s West Coast Privacy and Cybersecurity team, where she acts as a strategic architect for companies operating at the forefront of data privacy, cybersecurity and healthcare regulatory law. She partners with innovative healthcare, biotech and technology leaders to solve today’s most complex privacy and security challenges – transforming risk into competitive advantage. Kim’s strategic counsel spans the full data protection lifecycle, blending sharp transactional acumen with deep regulatory insight to drive business resilience and growth in a constantly evolving landscape. Leveraging her cross-sector expertise, Kim is recognized for her ability to translate dense regulatory frameworks into clear business runways, helping clients transform data risk into a measurable competitive advantage – from cutting-edge digital health platforms and AI-driven diagnostics to complex life sciences mergers and high-stakes cybersecurity incidents.
With deep mastery of HIPAA/HITECH, the FTC Act and the evolving patchwork of state laws including CCPA/CPRA, Kim provides the legal certainty required for innovation in digital health, AI-driven diagnostics and global life sciences. Her work on era-defining tech transactions has earned her recognition as a “Client Service All Star” by BTI Consulting.
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Work Highlights
- Advises private equity sponsors, Fortune 500 technology companies and global life sciences firms on data privacy and cybersecurity issues in complex, high‑value M&A, including deep‑tier privacy due diligence and post‑close data integration. Regularly leads risk management for multi‑billion‑dollar healthcare and biotechnology transactions involving HIPAA‑regulated data and AI‑driven analytics.
- Serves as lead privacy counsel to financial services and healthcare organizations, including retail broker‑dealers, wealth managers, clinical trial sponsors, specialty pharmacies and multi‑state provider groups, designing enterprise data governance frameworks and risk management programs tailored to evolving global regulatory requirements.
- Counsels public companies, private enterprises and non‑profits through high‑stakes cybersecurity incidents, acting as lead counsel in ransomware attacks, data exfiltration events, and large‑scale phishing campaigns, and representing clients in subsequent investigations before State Attorneys General and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.
Education
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Georgetown University Law Center, 2008 J.D.
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University of Birmingham, Wolfson Centre for Medical Education, 2005 M.Sc
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University of Maryland, 2003 B.A..
Admissions
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California
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New York
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District of Columbia
Kim T. Le is Head of Simpson Thacher’s West Coast Privacy and Cybersecurity team and a member of the Firm’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice, where she acts as a strategic architect for companies operating at the forefront of data privacy, cybersecurity and healthcare regulatory law. She partners with innovative healthcare, biotech and technology leaders to solve today’s most complex privacy and security challenges – transforming risk into competitive advantage. Her work on era-defining tech transactions has earned her recognition as a “Client Service All Star” by BTI Consulting.
Kim’s strategic counsel spans the full data protection lifecycle, blending sharp transactional acumen with deep regulatory insight to drive business resilience and growth in a constantly evolving landscape. Leveraging her cross-sector expertise, Kim is recognized for her ability to translate dense regulatory frameworks into clear business runways, helping clients transform data risk into a measurable competitive advantage – from cutting-edge digital health platforms and AI-driven diagnostics to complex life sciences mergers and high-stakes cybersecurity incidents. She brings clarity and confidence to clients facing broad U.S. privacy regimes including HIPAA/HITECH, the FTC Act and emerging state laws across multiple jurisdictions, including CCPA/CPRA. Leveraging her cross-sector expertise, Kim helps clients navigate a rapidly shifting regulatory environment – from cutting-edge digital health platforms and AI-driven diagnostics to complex life sciences mergers and high-stakes cybersecurity incidents.
Kim is known for delivering pragmatic, business-focused advice, expertly managing the lifecycle of data-related risk from pre-investment diligence to the implementation of cross-border privacy strategies. Her expertise is central to high-growth sectors, where she counsels on the privacy implications of AI-integrated clinical research, telehealth platforms, and cross-border data flows. Beyond advisory work, she is a battle-tested crisis manager who has guided dozens of organizations through the recovery and regulatory defense phases of significant cybersecurity incidents – representing clients before the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and State Attorneys General.
Kim’s representative matters before joining Simpson Thacher include advising:
Mergers & Acquisitions
- A leading investment bank as financial advisor in a $6.5 billion cross-border acquisition of a healthcare wholesale business
- A specialist in orthopedic implants and surgical solutions in its strategic sale to a Fortune 500 healthcare distribution company
- The $600 million sale of a genetic testing subsidiary to a prominent AI-driven precision medicine company
- A PE-backed acute health services provider in its high-profile sale to a national healthcare delivery network
- Joint owners in the $210 million sale of a pharmaceutical subsidiary to a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO)
- A national platform of clinical services in a $2+ billion recapitalization and stake sale to a major healthcare-focused investment sponsor
- A portfolio company of a major private equity firm in its $600 million carve-out sale of its scanning technology business to a global dental products leader
- Multiple leading private equity firms, financial services companies, healthcare providers, biotechnology companies and Fortune 500 technology companies in connection with management, including due diligence in the context of AI-related strategic acquisitions, investments and deployments.
Strategic Partnerships
- A $2.25 billion investment in a micro-manufacturing leader for the medical device and diagnostics industries
- A major private equity sponsor in the acquisition of a majority stake in a clinical trial acceleration platform
- A $600 million joint venture between a healthcare-focused PE firm and a major health insurer to develop an innovative primary care model
- A global investment firm on a $4 billion partnership with a leading health insurance provider
- A Blackstone-backed health tech company in a series of strategic acquisitions focused on digital health management, payment integrity and population health software.
Capital Markets & Financings
- Multiple $1B+ initial public offerings, including a leading healthcare platform’s $1.2 billion debut and a $3 billion+ multinational fertility services group’s listing on the HKEX
- A major pension plan investment board as lead investor in a $400 million financing for a machine learning-driven drug discovery company
- Top-tier sponsors on high-value investments in on-demand behavioral healthcare and cloud-based clinical research platforms (valued at $2.1 billion)