Nicole E. Osborne is a Partner at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C., where she serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Practice Group. Nicole maintains a dual practice focused on cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as management-side employment law. She serves as trusted counsel to businesses navigating complex legal, regulatory, and operational challenges, advising clients on cybersecurity incidents, data privacy compliance, workplace issues, internal and government investigations, and high-stakes commercial disputes. Nicole is also a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation, Health Law, Employment, White Collar Crime and Investigations, and Crisis Management Practice Groups.
Nicole advises organizations of all sizes on cybersecurity preparedness, data privacy compliance, and cyber incident response. She regularly serves as breach counsel during some of her clients’ most critical moments, leading responses to ransomware attacks, business email compromise, data breaches, and other cybersecurity incidents. Working alongside executive leadership, internal and external IT teams, forensic investigators, cyber insurers, public relations consultants, and law enforcement, Nicole directs all phases of incident response – from investigation and containment through regulatory reporting, stakeholder communications, and post-incident remediation.
Beyond incident response, Nicole counsels businesses on cybersecurity governance, risk management, incident response planning, privacy impact assessments, and compliance with the evolving landscape of state, federal, and international privacy and cybersecurity laws. She also represents clients in government investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, and civil litigation arising from cybersecurity incidents and privacy disputes.
Nicole advises employers on the full spectrum of workplace issues, partnering with management and human resources professionals to develop practical, business-focused solutions. Her practice includes counseling clients on wage and hour compliance, workplace investigations, employee handbooks and policies, restrictive covenants, trade secret protection, disability accommodations and leave issues, employment discrimination prevention, and employment law compliance.
Nicole also represents employers in administrative proceedings and state and federal courts, defending claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour violations, restrictive covenant disputes, confidentiality breaches, and trade secret misappropriation. She works proactively with employers to minimize legal risk while effectively resolving disputes when litigation becomes necessary.
An experienced commercial litigator, Nicole represents businesses and individuals in complex disputes in state and federal courts. Her litigation experience includes employer-employee disputes, privacy litigation, business torts, breach of contract, shareholder disputes, trade secret litigation, professional liability matters, including claims involving Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) and Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance policies, and Article 78 proceedings. Her litigation background enhances her ability to provide strategic counsel before disputes arise and to effectively advocate for clients when litigation is unavoidable.
Nicole serves as Co-Chair of Ruskin Moscou Faltischek’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Practice Group, Chair of the Cyber Law Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association, and Treasurer of the Suffolk County Women’s Bar Association. Nicole is also an Adjunct Professor at Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law, where she teaches Fundamentals of the Law of Cybersecurity. A frequent speaker and author, she presents on cybersecurity, privacy, employment, and litigation topics for bar associations, businesses, and industry organizations, addressing emerging legal and regulatory developments.
Nicole has been recognized by Long Island Business News as one of its Ones to Watch and has been selected to the New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for six consecutive years (2021–2026). She has also been recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for Labor and Employment Law – Management (2025 and 2026).
Nicole earned her J.D. from Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law, where she served as Notes Editor of the Hofstra Law Review, competed as a member of the Moot Court Board, and participated in the Hofstra Trial Advocacy Association.
