Data Protection

Our data and information team provides pragmatic commercial advice to businesses working in a constantly evolving market. We offer strong expertise and advice to help our clients achieve their objectives.

Our team is made up of specialists from a number of fields, giving us a strong knowledge base to draw upon. We can offer clients access to key contacts within the sector and have strong working relationships with regulators, industry bodies and legislators.

We are regarded as one of the leading data and information practices in the UK, with a global network of data and information specialist lawyers in all key jurisdictions, who advise businesses across the globe.

Employee and customer data is a key asset all businesses large and small want to maximise in order to gain real competitive advantage. However, the use of that information is subject to a complex legal regime. We give organisations insight and reassurance around the use of data as well as training on the practical implications surrounding its use. Our team has key experience working with major organisations, many of which are industry leaders in their fields, including the financial service, retail and public sectors.

Expertise

Critical compliance advice in corporate transactions
Strategic advice on merger and harmonisation of databases following acquisition
Strategic review of structure, accessibility and integration of databases for use throughout a company and its wider group of companies
Data protection notices, telescripts, privacy policies and compliance manuals, including advising on opt-ins and opt-outs and multichannel marketing
All aspects of data commercialisation from the structuring of contracts to compliance procedures to be undertaken at domestic and global level, including multijurisdictional advice
Partnership, joint venture (JV) and affinity arrangements where businesses enter into commercial agreements to maximise the value and use of each other's customer databases; specifically advising on risk-based strategies relating to the use of big data, JVs, debt portfolios, customer profiling, data aggregation, legacy data and database consolidation
Advising on privacy and compliance matters for mobile applications, the development of mobile wallets, contactless and payments technology
Implementation of Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) for global businesses
Investigations, enforcements, prosecutions and assessments by the Information Commissioner and compensation claims through the courts. We have acted in several leading tribunal and High Court cases
Full compliance audits and implementation for large retailers and financial services providers, reporting at board level
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and compliance, including drafting FOI clauses in contracts and advising on how to respond to information requests

Clients and experience

We have experience acting for:

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority on FOI and MPs' expenses
A high-street retailer on direct marketing opportunities and data protection issues
A FTSE company on the development of its data strategy including the commercialisation of its big data
Various clients and industry bodies in relation to lobbying the UK Government and MEPs on the areas of EU Data Protection Regulation which are especially damaging to our clients
Corporate clients, including investigating data breaches, preventing further damage (financial and reputational) and advising on proactive and reactive notifications to regulators and individuals
A FTSE 100 company, advising in connection with the implementation of BCR for a global business across 40 EU countries
A financial services client, where we advised and negotiated agreements relating to the client's adoption of Microsoft's O365 products. The deal involved complex data processing arrangements and we successfully negotiated improved contractual provisions to protect our client's data protection compliance

Thought Leadership and Credentials

Data Subject Access Requests

Individuals have the fundamental right to make a Data Subject Access Request and organisations have to respond. Find out how AG can make it easier, quicker and cheaper for you to deal with DSAR.

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Information security brochure

Our Information Security practice pulls together experts from all relevant disciplines to provide a holistic approach to help our clients meet the challenges faced in protecting data in an ever-evolving technology landscape.

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