DANYELLE SEMJONOVS (MCNEARY)

Senior Attorney

Growing up, Danyelle had a passion for words - including word puzzles, books, and technology. She knew she wanted to serve the public as a whole and was determined to meld her passions into a successful and fulfilling career. Early on, Danyelle discovered how the law gives people a chance to interpret and reinterpret their world and develop their own rules about how to interact with one another, forcing people to understand society and humans on a deeper level. Danyelle understood how being a lawyer, one who interprets the law, combined with her life experience would benefit not only her world but the world at large. With these ideas firmly planted in her mind, Danyelle took these passions and began her law degree at the technology-focused law school at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU).

Danyelle is strong-willed, disciplined, and works diligently hard not only for her clients but for justice in general. She approaches each case with thoughtfulness and care. Danyelle nurtures her client relationships to develop trust and understanding between her and her clients. Due to her empathetic nature, Danyelle fiercely represents her clients and their needs. Danyelle attributes these traits, especially her hard work and overall perseverance, to her mother.

EXPERIENCE

During and prior to law school, Danyelle helped vulnerable populations navigate the legal system. During her externship, she worked at CU’s Technology Transactions Office, focusing on trademark and patent licensing. Danyelle was also the student in-house attorney at Cable Television Laboratories (CableLabs).

After graduating law school, Danyelle served as an Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist at the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Office of Federal Contracts Compliance Programs (OFCCP) where she used contracts to promote and protect civil rights, managed major and minor audits for compliance with U.S. antidiscrimination laws, and handled complaints against large government contractors.

Danyelle served as an attorney at the Sexual Violence Law Center (SVLC), representing survivors of sexual assault and focusing on technology abuse and privacy. Using her knowledge in technology law, Danyelle successfully got an injunction against a perpetrator’s attempts to get video footage off a victim’s home cameras. Danyelle has maintained a relationship with SVLC through its community branch, the Technology Enabled Coercive Control Initiative (TECCI), which engages the community, law enforcement, the judiciary, and state representatives and educates them about the impact technology has on individual rights. Additionally, Danyelle volunteers with Cornell University’s Clinic to End Tech Abuse (CETA) where she works with other volunteers to help vulnerable clients secure their technology privacy and security.

Danyelle's educational and career journey was greatly impacted by her father and grandfather. Although her father, a physicist, was not able to convince her to obtain a math degree, his impact and influence shone light on the technology field encouraged her passion for technology. Her grandfather, a 1953 graduate of the University of Tuskegee in Electrical Engineering, further cemented this passion. Danyelle also benefitted from her time working on the Technology Law Journal and assisting the incredible Amy Schmitz, a pioneer in the pursuit of protecting human rights in the face of technology and one-click contracts.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Below is a list of Danyelle's most recent speaking engagements.

• McNeary Danyelle, Cuomo, Dana, Access to Justice Conference, "Identifying and Addressing Technology Enabled Abuse", August 2021.
• McNeary Danyelle, Employment Law, Sexual Harassment Training for Employers.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION AND PARTICIPATION

Below is a list of Danyelle's professional recognition and participation.

• 2021 Honor Roll Volunteer Attorney for the Southern District of California