Elaine Wallace

This person no longer works for the Wikimedia Foundation. Current staff and contractors » This is the user page of a user who was a member of the Wikimedia Foundation staff or served as a contractor to the Foundation. In order to maintain a historical record, this page has not been deleted. However, any contact information below may be incorrect, as this user is no longer employed at the Foundation.

Elaine Wallace

Pro Bono Counsel, Wikimedia Foundation

About me

I graduated from law school in 1995. Other than the three years I was at home with my kids, I’ve been practicing law since then. I’ve spent most of my career at major international law firms, representing technology and internet companies. I specialize in intellectual property, privacy, licensing, and advertising law. I’ve represented software and hardware companies and a wide variety of online organizations, including online retailers, a social networking site, a peer-to-peer file sharing service, a car share service, a digital interview service, and an electronic gift card company.

I’ve also done a wide variety of pro bono work for individuals and organizations, including two years as pro bono intellectual property counsel for the San Francisco Symphony. I have been pro bono counsel for the Wikimedia Foundation since April 2013. I took on this role because I am passionate about the mission of the Foundation and because I think the Wikimedia projects are some of the most significant, interesting, and inspiring online projects in the world.

I was born and grew up in Scotland. I have a Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Glasgow and a J.D. from Boston University Law School. I am licensed to practice law in California and Massachusetts. I am a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US).

When I’m not practicing law, I enjoy the outdoors, travel, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

My work

I work on a variety of legal issues for the Foundation, with particular focus on governance issues.

For legal ethical reasons I (as well as the rest of the legal team) can only represent the Wikimedia Foundation and cannot be the attorney for the community or chapters, though the legal team often provides strong support to the community in many ways consistent with Wikimedia Foundation goals.

Disclaimer: I work for or provide services to the Wikimedia Foundation, and this is the account I try to use for edits or statements I make in that role. However, the Foundation does not vet all my activity, so edits, statements, or other contributions made by this account may not reflect the views of the Foundation. The legal team can only represent the Wikimedia Foundation on legal matters, so we are unable to give legal advice to others, including community members, editors, or contributors. Communications with members of the legal team are not consultations and do not create any confidential relationship.

Contact me

E-mail: ewallacewikimedia.org