Services
Data Protection
Senior data protection lawyers helping GCs, DPOs and heads of compliance hold the line on privacy risk, regulatory change and cross-border data flows without the work overwhelming the function.
Senior privacy advice, calibrated to your business
When you instruct Arbor Law on a privacy matter, you work directly with senior data protection lawyers who have done this work at scale before, many of whom have served as DPO, GC or head of privacy inside organisations. We will read the position quickly, set out the options in plain English, and run the matter, the framework or the response in whatever shape suits your organisation.
The arrangement is simple: you stay in control of the decisions, and we get on with the work.
What you get when you instruct Arbor on a privacy matter
A senior data protection lawyer on the file from day one
Data protection questions, whether they arise on a product launch, a breach, a regulatory investigation or a cross-border transaction, benefit from senior legal judgement rather than junior processing. At Arbor Law you work directly with experienced data protection lawyers who can read the position quickly and give advice that is practical, proportionate and grounded in how your organisation actually operates.
Advice calibrated to how the business actually uses data
Data protection compliance that is disconnected from the way a business operates tends to create friction rather than reduce risk. Our approach is to understand the commercial context behind the legal question first: how personal data flows through your organisation, what your products and services depend on, and where the real risks sit, so the advice we give is workable as well as legally sound.
A clear view of UK, EU and the patchwork of US and global regimes
Data protection obligations do not stop at national borders, and for organisations operating across multiple jurisdictions the compliance picture can become complex quickly. Our lawyers advise on UK and EU requirements and help organisations understand and manage the key global regimes, including the fast-moving landscape of US state privacy laws and sector-specific rules, so that compliance, resilience and commercial priorities stay aligned.
A joined-up view across compliance, breach response, vendor risk and emerging tech
From routine compliance and policy work through to incident response, regulatory investigations and the data protection dimensions of emerging technologies, our team covers the full breadth of the subject. That means consistent, advice across all aspects of your data protection needs, without managing multiple relationships or re-explaining context every time a new issue lands.
City-grade judgement at the right price point for your matter
Arbor Law was built to give you access to senior, City-trained lawyers without the leverage and overhead of a traditional firm: which matters particularly in data protection, where the volume and variety of issues can make external costs difficult to forecast. Our model gives you reliable access to senior advice in a way that is proportionate to the issue at hand, not the size of the team behind it. There is nothing wrong with the bigger firms; it is just that most clients we speak to do not want to pay the Magic Circle premium for every DPIA, vendor review or routine breach assessment.
A working pattern that fits your DPO and in-house team
We sit alongside your DPO, privacy team and wider in-house function rather than around them: we work in the format and the cadence that suit you, and act as an extension of your function rather than another supplier to manage. Where you want us to lead the privacy programme end-to-end, we do that. Where you want your DPO to lead and use us for senior input on the points that need it, DPIAs on a critical product, a data privacy policy overhaul, a serious data breach, a regulatory inquiry, we do that too. The aim is the same either way: to take friction out of how privacy works with the rest of the business, not add another layer to it.
Privacy work, run well, looks different from one engagement to the next, but the underlying disciplines tend to be the same: senior eyes on the file early, an honest read of where the existing framework already does its job and where it does not, and a steady hand when something contentious lands, whether that is a breach, a regulator’s letter or a product team asking the wrong question late in the build.
Most in-house privacy functions arrive with a clear sense of one or two pressure points and a less clear sense of the others, and a fair amount of the value lies in mapping the picture honestly before recommending changes. Where the existing framework is sound, we say so and leave it alone; where it is creaking, we set out what to fix, in what order, and what the cost of leaving it would look like in regulatory, financial and reputational terms.
When the work is contentious, whether a serious breach, a regulator’s investigation or a multi-jurisdictional inquiry, we run it the way an experienced GC or DPO would want it run: senior-led, calibrated to the commercial picture, and focused on protecting the organisation throughout. If the case for a particular course of action ever shifts, we will say so and recommend the alternative: that is the conversation a head of compliance tends to want, and it is one we are comfortable having.
When you instruct Arbor on a privacy matter, you can expect a senior-led view on the position quickly, a clear plan of what we are doing and why, and a single named lawyer accountable for the matter from start to finish.
Our data protection legal services to strengthen compliance, resilience and trust
Data protection work covers a wide range of issues, but the underlying need tends to be the same: experienced legal support that helps you manage risk early, meet your obligations clearly and put frameworks in place that stand up in practice. We advise across a broad range of privacy and data governance matters, tailoring our support to the nature of your operations and the pressures you are dealing with.
GDPR, regulatory compliance and data governance
Sound data protection compliance starts with a clear read of what the applicable rules require and how they interact with the way your organisation actually operates. We help you assess your current practices, identify gaps, develop policies and procedures, and put the governance frameworks in place that give your organisation a defensible and sustainable approach to compliance.
That includes advice on GDPR and UK data protection law, data protection impact assessments, privacy notices, subject access requests and the steps needed to demonstrate accountability to regulators. For organisations subject to additional regulatory requirements, including those arising under the Freedom of Information Act or sector-specific rules, we provide the broader compliance support needed to keep the full picture under control.
Data privacy measures and training
Effective data protection depends not only on having the right policies in place, but on the people inside your organisation understanding what is required of them and why. We audit your existing approach to privacy, identify areas of vulnerability and provide tailored training to help your teams understand and apply best practice in their day-to-day work.
Data breach management and incident response
When a breach lands, the speed and quality of the initial response matters enormously: notification obligations are time-sensitive, the regulatory and reputational consequences of a poor response are usually severe, and the decisions taken in the first hours and days tend to shape how the whole matter ends up.
Our lawyers can support you from the moment a breach is identified: helping you assess the scope and severity of the incident, meet your notification obligations, manage communications and, where an investigation follows, providing clear guidance and representation throughout. Cybersecurity is a natural companion to breach management, and we also advise on incident response planning and post-incident remediation, helping you align your policies and controls with recognised frameworks and standards such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO/IEC 27001.
Data processing agreements and international transfers
Where personal data is shared with or processed by third parties, whether for payroll, technology support, marketing or another purpose, a properly drafted data processing agreement is both a legal requirement and a practical safeguard. We help you put agreements in place that set out clearly how vendors are required to store, process, protect and use data, and that give you the contractual protections you need if something goes wrong.
For organisations transferring personal data across borders, we advise on lawful transfer mechanisms and the documentation required to support them, including Standard Contractual Clauses and Binding Corporate Rules, so that your international operations stay compliant as regulatory expectations develop.
US and global privacy compliance
For organisations operating internationally, data protection compliance routinely extends well beyond GDPR: the privacy landscape in the United States is moving quickly, with a growing patchwork of state-level privacy laws sitting alongside sector-specific federal regimes such as HIPAA and COPPA. We help organisations navigate multi-jurisdictional privacy requirements, designing practical compliance approaches that work across different markets and operating models without creating unnecessary complexity or duplication.
Data governance and emerging technologies
Many of the most significant privacy risks facing organisations today come from how data is used in products, platforms and automated decision-making rather than from traditional compliance failures. We advise on privacy by design, AI and algorithmic accountability, online behavioural analytics and AdTech, biometrics and digital identity, and encryption and security-by-design, helping organisations move forward with new technologies and capabilities while keeping the governance frameworks appropriately tight.
E-privacy and cookie compliance
E-privacy notices and cookie policies are often the most visible expression of an organisation’s approach to data protection, and they play an important role in building trust with the people who use your products and services. We help you ensure that your notices accurately communicate your data processing practices, give individuals a clear understanding of their rights, and provide genuine choice about the cookies and tracking technologies placed on their devices.
Monetary penalty notices and regulatory investigations
If your organisation receives a monetary penalty notice or becomes the subject of a regulatory investigation, the way you respond usually shapes how the matter ends up. Our lawyers advise on your options, help you engage effectively with the relevant authority and work to protect your organisation’s position throughout the process, drawing on a clear understanding of how regulators approach enforcement and what a well-prepared response looks like in practice.
Get in touch today
If a data protection question is on your desk, the sooner the right lawyer sees it the better. Send us a short note about what you are dealing with and one of us will come back to you personally, often the same day, to talk it through. The first conversation is on us, and if we are not the right firm for the job we will tell you and, where we can, point you to someone who is.
- +44 (0)20 7355 0540
- info@arbor.law
- 20 North Audley Street, London W1K 6WE
