Data Protection
Data protection is at the heart of our growing technology practice. We have a team of dedicated data protection specialists supported by our data protection enthusiasts. Our service offering includes specialist advice, transactional support and ongoing retainers.
Our expertise
We are practical, quality-focused and experienced lawyers able to provide ‘plug and play’ advice on data protection issues in the private and public sector.
Data protection is all about risk-based approaches, balanced assessments and communications tailored to audiences. We pride ourselves on our expertise in legitimate interest assessments and data privacy impact assessments relating to novel data processing. Our passion for technology coupled with exposure to dealing with multi-sectoral regulatory requirements has helped us develop expertise in answering more complex data protection questions.
Our data protection team advises on:
- General GDPR compliance
- Policies and procedures
- Data sharing
- Data in technology deals and cloud solutions
- Data in new technologies including AI, ML, facial recognition, predictive analytics
- Due diligence on data-heavy corporate transactions
- Regulatory action
- Data transfer impact assessments and cross-border data transfer solutions
- Supply chain risk analysis and drafting bespoke agreements
- Cyber and information security
- Data breach response and notifications
- Data subject rights
- Claims for compensation
Thanks to our multi-sectoral client base across the firm, we benefit from strong industry awareness.
Our international referral network, TELFA, enables us to promptly assist with questions about local law and practice in other jurisdictions.
Our focus
Now that general GDPR compliance projects near completion across sectors, we focus on the fast evolving technical application of data protection rules in industry-specific scenarios in a pragmatic way.
With awareness of regulatory trends and first-hand experience of regulatory practice, we confidently advise on difficult questions where the law is trying to catch up with technology.
Nevertheless, despite our ambitions in thought leadership, our main focus remains client satisfaction.
Our industries
Data protection does concern every sector, one way or another, and we have worked with most industries.
Our recent experience includes working with sectors such as social media, adtech, insuretech, trading/brokerage, education, self-regulation, IT, cloud, sport, hospitality, transport, third sector, trading, luxury brands, property management and private client.
Benefits of working with us
- Expertise in all matters of data protection.
- External DPO service.
- Data protection training solutions.
- Full-service support.
- Event participation and industry connections.
- Meaningful know-how updates and regular data protection podcast.
Experience
- Advising a Fortune 500 company on employee data protection in 15 different jurisdictions.
- Advising a financial services firm on deployment of innovative technologies.
- Advising a leading UK charity on data protection matters.
- Conducting a GDPR readiness assessment for a private bank and a major private equity house.
- Advising an aerospace manufacturer on employee data protection.
- Assisting with a DPIA involving high-volume processing in the education sector.
- Supporting a leading UK construction, property services and development company on internal and transactional GDPR compliance
News
Regulatory Scrutiny of Cookie-less Adtech Continues to be one of Google’s Topics – Entertainment Law Review
Originally published by ThomsonReuters © ThomsonReuters.
News
Edward Fennell’s Legal Diary – Legal comment of the week
Partner Alexander Dittel shares his thoughts on the news that the facial recognition software company, Clearview AI, has been fined £7.5M for a breach of data protection laws, published in… Read more →
News
ICO publishes Regulatory Action Policy and Guidance
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published a draft regulatory action policy in December 2021, accompanied by draft statutory guidance on which they have asked for feedback by 24th March 2022.… Read more →
News
UK REPORT MARCH 2022: No end to the end-to-end encryption – Privacy Laws & Business
News
GDPR’s children data regime – US Law Magazine
Partner Alexander Dittel writes about pressing issues arising from the GDPR’s children data regime, published in US Law Magazine’s Spring 2022 issue.
News
Proposal for the EU Data Act – where are we now?
EU data legislation stays firmly in the news recently, with a leak of the new EU Data Act finally providing some highly sought-after insight into the EU’s overall digital strategy.… Read more →
News
The Regulatory Sandbox
A Sandbox is a testing environment which isolates untested and experimental projects from the real world environment allowing their development in a safe and controlled manner. The sandbox provides organisations with… Read more →
News
The Information Commissioner’s Office issues notice of intent to fine Clearview AI Inc £17M
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced its intent to impose a fine of just over £17 million on Clearview AI Inc (CI) a company that describes itself as the… Read more →
News
Summary of Wealth Management Executive Moves – September 2021 – Wealth Briefing
Wealth Briefing has highlighted our new partner appointments in a further round up of September’s People Moves. To read the full article, please click here.
News
Data reform: Unlocking AI to boost innovation across industry – Privacy Laws and Business
The article was originally published in Privacy Laws & Business issue 118 on 16 November 2021.
News
Facial recognition technology: the risks unfold – PLC Magazine
This article first appeared in the December 2021 issue of PLC Magazine.
News
Lloyd v Google ruling could protect Big Tech — and smaller businesses – Tech Monitor
Partner Alexander Dittel has been quoted in Tech Monitor, commenting on the impact of the UK Supreme Court judgment Google v Lloyd. Google’s victory in an appeal against a class-action… Read more →
News
Lloyd v Google: Google win landmark data claim – Solicitors Journal
The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to block a representative action brought against Google by a former executive director of consumer watchdog Which? Partner Alexander Dittel shares his thoughts in… Read more →
News
The ICO’s Accountability Framework: How do you fare in the data protection compliance check-up?
In January this year I wrote a short blog about the accountability principle. In the blog I discussed the importance of this principle and the checklist produced by the ICO… Read more →
News
Use your inner ‘Big’ child to implement the Age Appropriate Design Code
Thinking about how to implement the Age Appropriate Design Code issued by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office? Reach out to your inner child! In the movie Big, Tom Hanks played… Read more →
News
Data Protection and COVID-19: Can we ask our employees to share their COVID vaccination status?
Since coronavirus restrictions lifted in the UK, workers have gradually been returning to the office. With TfL figures revealing a 22% rise in London Underground commutes, employers are beginning to… Read more →
"Wedlake Bell LLP’s ‘excellent’ department is ‘very knowledgeable and well trusted’ by a client roster which includes new gain Deltanet International and Wates Group."
— Legal 500, 2017
"Other key practitioners include Jonathan Cornthwaite, Adam Edwards, Adrian Heath-Saunders and solicitor Jonathan Wright, who is ‘a highly experienced individual’."
— Legal 500, 2017