About Richard
Richard Santalesa earned his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. He took the academic route that many technology and privacy attorneys have followed: law school, then straight into practice areas shaped by fast-moving technical change. Those early choices set the arc of a career that bridges traditional intellectual property concerns and newer questions about data and online communications.
He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Connecticut and New York. Those jurisdictions reflect the mix of federal, state and commercial matters his work touches. Over the years he has participated in committees and working groups that sit at the intersection of law and technology. That involvement has informed both his courtroom perspective and his advisory work.
Santalesa holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional credential from the International Association of Privacy Professionals. The certification is one marker of his interest in privacy rules, compliance obligations and the policies that govern personal data. He has also spent years engaging with peer networks that address emerging problems in digital platforms and trade secret protection.
Professional affiliations have been a visible part of his résumé. He has served in leadership roles in the American Bar Association, including vice chairman positions on the Science & Technology Law Section’s Social Media Committee and the Trade Secrets Committee in Division 4. He co-chaired IAPP KnowledgeNet CT from 2013 to 2015. Since 2012 he has been a SCORE certified business mentor, advising small business owners and entrepreneurs on legal and operational questions.
Those committee roles point to recurring themes in his work: social media policies, trade secret issues, and the practical application of privacy law for businesses. He has moved between advising organizations on risk management and drafting policies that respond to regulatory developments. His activity in professional associations has kept him close to the debates that shape best practices in those areas.
Santalesa currently operates from SmartEdgeLaw Group. There he provides counsel on privacy compliance, intellectual property concerns tied to technology, and the legal dimensions of social media and trade secrets. He combines credentialed privacy knowledge with practical committee experience to advise clients on both preventive measures and dispute response.
He maintains an active practice that centers on privacy law, trade secret matters and legal questions arising from social media and technology use.
