Professional history
I’ve travelled around the Freshfields network in my 15-plus years, working out of Paris, New York and London and I’ve also enjoyed being in-house on secondment in the IP team of a big consumer brand.
What do you do?
Our data practice has data privacy expertise at its core, but that’s only part of the story. We cover all the IP and contractual angles on how to manage data, and our data group brings together specialists from employment, antitrust, tax, transactional and investigations teams so that we can offer a rounded view of how to manage data in the context of major projects, transactions, investigations and crises.
What drew you to your area of practice?
It’s always changing. Fifteen years ago lawyers didn’t think much about data, and it certainly wasn’t on the front page of the news every day. These days, it’s almost all you hear about.
Career highlights?
We’ve helped global businesses enable their scientists to share data on collaborative platforms, we’ve advised on how to launch connected and autonomous vehicles, and we’ve also helped some fantastic charities to bring people together and to highlight important causes, all through how they leverage data.
Advice for young lawyers?
Always ask yourself what advice real people in real businesses need to make the most of their data and to develop trust in their brand. There’s a lot of guidance out there that’s too generic or scaremongering.
If you hadn’t been a lawyer...
Wildlife photographer.
What’s everyone talking about?
AI. But not everyone talking about it understands it . . .
What will data lawyers be advising on in 10 years?
Ten years ago very few lawyers could have meaningfully focused on data, so it’s very hard to predict the next 10 years! At a guess, the challenges of quantum computing.
What do you do to relax?
I’m usually running around after my son, who has a bit more energy than the average lawyer.
What’s your favourite restaurant?
It’s all about the coffee for me. A great place on the corner of Carter Lane near work.