I have worked with governments, businesses, public bodies and third sector organisations to find practical solutions to meet their needs. I was the UK Government’s lead lawyer in negotiations on the GDPR.
I have extensive, in-depth knowledge of the GDPR. I represented the UK in meetings in Brussels, drafted text for inclusion in the legislation, and worked with the European Commission, representatives from other EU Member States, regulators and stakeholders to develop the regime.
Since moving into private practice, I have advised clients on a wide range of privacy law issues including tracking or monitoring of data subjects, collection, use and retention of personal data, data sharing, data protection in the context of commercial contracts, data breaches, international data transfers, and the impact of Brexit on data protection.
I enjoy working closely with clients to distil complex legal issues and provide pragmatic, practical solutions. Clients have commented on my “very clear, logical” approach and have described me as “a real pleasure to deal with, always unflappable and good-humoured as well as professional”.
As a senior government lawyer I gained extensive experience of public and EU law. In addition to my work on data protection and information law in the Ministry of Justice I worked in the Department for Exiting the European Union where I led on aspects of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, the Withdrawal Agreement and the framework for the future UK-EU relationship. I have co-authored a leading practitioner text on retained EU law, published by the Law Society: Retained EU Law: a Practical Guide.
I was the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s lead lawyer on the European Union (Referendum) Act 2015. I have also represented the UK at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
I have proven skills as a negotiator at EU and international level. I have provided evidence in the UK Parliament on several occasions on retained EU law, Brexit and data. I have given numerous television and radio interviews on Brexit. I have spoken extensively at conferences and lectured at universities on data protection and the UK’s post-Brexit legal landscape.
- Advised a foreign government on UK and EU data adequacy, provided legal support during bilateral negotiations and provided strategic advice to establish high data protection standards
- Provided expert advice in a regulatory environment on post-Brexit domestic data protection policy
- Briefed social media companies with a global profile on the use of data for research and data protection compliance
- Provided advice on data protection when using AI in medical research
- Advised a regulator on data protection risks arising from using biometric data for identification purposes
- Counselled a number of public bodies on privacy-related issues in high-profile inquiries and investigations
- Provided training to trustees of charities on data protection and cybersecurity and helped to work up practical and pragmatic data protection policies for the third sector
- Supported trade associations on Brexit readiness including delivering presentations and workshops
- Advised businesses from start-ups to large multinationals on all aspects of data protection compliance
- Advised International Organisations on data protection standards