GDPR Articles, Tips & Latest News

Law firms stand as custodians of some of society's most sensitive information, entrusted with safeguarding client confidentiality, proprietary data, and legal strategies. However, as the reliance on digital technologies grows, so does the threat landscape surrounding these institutions. 

In the information age, the importance of safeguarding personal data and ensuring transparency in data processing has never been more critical. For law firms operating within the United Kingdom, appropriate handling of Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) has become an integral part of their legal responsibilities. DSARs provide individuals with the right to access their personal data held by organisations, and failing to handle them correctly can result in substantial fines, penalties from the SRA and the ICO, and reputational damage.

Compliance with PECR (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations of 2003) requires that Cookies on websites are deployed appropriately.

The SRA Code 2019 for legal practices, paragraph 2.1a, requires for practices to comply not only with SRA regulation, but also other regulation and legislation which apply to them.

I’m frequently asked by organisations about the appropriate person to appoint as the individual responsible for data protection. By the time they ask me this question, many have already appointed a senior person in their organisation, usually under the banner of Data Protection Officer.

Now that we have crossed over into the new regulation for the protection of data, there are troublingly clear indications that preparations have not been as rounded as they need to be.