Tawana Johnson Wraps 10-Episode SafeHouse Initiative Podcast Series on Cyber Insurance and Cyber Claims

Atlanta, Ga. (October 7, 2025) - Atlanta Partner Tawana Johnson recently completed co-hosting a 10-episode podcast series for the SafeHouse Initiative that focused upon cyber claims and cyber insurance considerations for small and mid-sized businesses. Throughout the series, Ms. Johnson and SafeHouse Initiative founding member Jeff Edwards spoke with professionals from across the cyber insurance industry, such as attorneys as well as insurance company and broker insiders. These guests - including Lewis Brisbois’ own Denver/Washington, D.C. Partner Christopher Wood - discussed topics including considerations when purchasing cyber insurance, the cyber claims process, cyber litigation and class actions, and best practices for managing a data breach incident.

During the recently recorded final episode, titled, “Thoughtful Reflection: Summer Series Conclusion With Tawana Johnson,” Ms. Johnson first reviewed the many subjects she covered with guests on the podcast. She then spoke about her own role as her clients’ breach coach following a cyber incident, noting, “I like to think of my role as kind of a quarterback . . . helping identify the appropriate vendors to help navigate an incident . . . communicating with the insurance carrier . . . helping my client not to panic . . . . I have my hands in every pot, so to speak.”

Ms. Johnson also highlighted the themes that emerged repeatedly throughout the podcast series, observing that the guests often provided similar advice. For example, the guests agreed that businesses should know the data they have and where it is stored, work with a good broker, and timely notify their broker and insurance company of a cyber incident. In addition, the guests observed that there was a lack of case law on cyber insurance issues and that most cases have been settling out of court. Ms. Johnson explained that when settling these matters, “you know you are getting a result that is the most favorable all around without the risk of what a jury is going to do.” Moreover, she noted that she “absolutely love[d]” the final recurring theme in the podcast series because she has repeated it often. That is, her guests consistently conveyed that, “It’s not a matter of if but when. . . . No organization is too small to be a target [of a cyber incident]. . . . You’re a target.”

In providing recommendations to businesses for improving their cybersecurity posture, Ms. Johnson stated, “My number one piece of advice is to have a cyber insurance policy. Call your broker.” She also advised companies to know their data, have multi-factor authentication in place for every user on every application, have good back-ups and back up frequently, have a team of professionals in place before an incident occurs, and have an incident response plan that is not stored on the company’s network.

Notably, in Part Seven of series, titled, “Class Action Exposure,” Mr. Wood emphasized that plaintiffs’ attorneys now target companies of all sizes who have experienced a breach. He described, “The conception of what is a worthwhile case to pursue has changed. . . . Entities big and small have cyber policies and the plaintiffs’ bar knows that money is likely there and potentially useful for resolving the matter. So, if it’s even 1,000 people who were affected, that case very well may be appetizing to a plaintiffs’ firm.” In commenting upon how businesses may protect themselves from a cyber event in the first place, he stated, “It’s about preparation. It’s about putting in place policies and procedures that will help you prevent or mitigate the effect of an attack.”

Ms. Johnson is a vice chair of Lewis Brisbois’ Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice. She focuses on helping clients respond to cybersecurity incidents, comply with state and federal data privacy requirements, and respond to state and federal regulatory investigations. Ms. Johnson is part of a team that is on call 24/7 to assist clients with breach response services throughout the United States and Canada.

Mr. Wood is a member of Lewis Brisbois’ Antitrust, Class Action, and Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practices. He has over 30 years of experience, in antitrust, data privacy disputes, and complex and commercial litigation. Mr. Wood has litigated dozens of data breach and business e-mail compromise cases.

You may access the full podcast series here and each individual episode at the links below.

Part 10 – Thoughtful Reflection: Cyber Insurance Summer Series Conclusion with Tawana Johnson

Part 9 – When Business Stops: Coverage Litigation and the Fight for Recovery with Ted Brown

Part 8 – When Business Stops: BI Litigation and the Fight for Recovery with Jane Warring

Part 7 – Breach to Bench: How Class Actions Are Born From Cyber Incidents with Chris Wood

Part 6 - Cradle to the Grave: The Full Lifecycle of a Cyber Claim with Toni Sukhan

Part 5 – Lost in Translation: Bridging the Cyber Policy Communication Gap with Brandy Vargas

Part 4 – What Underwriters Really See: From Application Pitfalls to Threat Intel with Heather Mongeau

Part 3 – The Broker Disconnect: Why Isn’t Cyber Being Pitched with Ryan Mercer

Part 2 – Cyber Insurance Summer Series: Quantifying Risk with Safe Security’s Steven Schwartz

Part 1 – From Risk to Recovery – Every Stop: The Cyber Insurance Journey with Tawana Johnson

Learn more about the Safehouse Initiative here.