This area has been developing really fast in the past few years and it is very connected to innovation and technology. Professionals that work in this field are required to constantly update and keep up with upcoming technologies and what is happening in the world. Since the pandemic, which made a lot of companies strengthen their online presence, our work has been non-stop and constantly changing.
The biggest challenges in the field include, still, companies resisting investments in compliance, training and awareness due to the costs involved. The LGPD is still being established and there are still many areas of the law that need to be further regulated. At the same time, in addition to our privacy authority, we also have the judiciary and consumer authorities in different states getting involved in privacy issues. In some cases, this creates a heavy burden for companies in Brazil.
To adapt to these challenges, we are always investing in privacy training and awarenesss. We have prepared several events, articles in the press and even booklets and bulletins produced internally for our employees and clients. We have a structured team of lawyers and IT specialists working to help our team to understand and adapt to the LGPD, making sure that, step by step, all our actions and demands will be in conformity with the law.
In terms of emerging trends, we are following closing all the matters connected with artificial intelligence and machine learning, especially in the context of the data utilisation.
Even with the remarkable advances towards gender equity, it is still a predominantly male market that needs to provide more opportunities for women. In TozziniFreire, we have been working for years for gender equity. We have approximately 40% of women partners and 65% of associates and trainees. I am proud to say that our area of cybersecurity and data privacy and technology and innovation are composed of three more women besides me: my colleagues Patrícia Helena Marta Martins, Bruna Borghi Tomé and Carla do Couto Hellu Battilana. These women also established themselves as authorities in this field and have been making room for the next generation of great women in this area.
In 2021, we created a podcast with Instituto Dara to guide low-income and very low-income women in Rio de Janeiro about types of domestic violence and possible ways to break the cycle of violence, labour rights, and economic or patrimonial violence. Also in 2021, our lawyers and partners participated in a workshop promoted by a Brazilian company that develops a professional training project for refugee women. Among the topics covered were family law, right to health, and domestic violence.
The data field is a part of the legal field that attracts women. Some areas such as IT and information security require some more specific and technical knowledge that may not be so attractive to many, but the increase in the percentage of women in our field shows that the market itself has been more inclusive towards women.
A piece of advice I would give to aspiring data lawyers and professionals: always be interested in what is happening in the world, and follow current affairs in general – not only in the legal market. Keep studying, following trends and speaking up.