Pritchetts Law - Rated a Leading National and Regional Firm Once Again

Pritchetts Law - a highly recommended specialist firm with extensive and in-depth data protection and privacy expertise

The major independent research guide Legal 500 has just published the Legal 500 United Kingdom 2017 guide and Pritchetts Law are absolutely delighted to once again have been independently ranked by the publication as one of the leading UK National and Regional Law Firms for providing specialist data protection advice. It describes Pritchetts Law as “a highly recommended specialist firm with ‘extensive and in-depth data protection and privacy expertise’, which receives praise for its ‘technically strong, high quality and value for money service’”.

To rank firms, Legal 500 carry out extensive research, including carrying out many thousands of interviews with clients, competitors and industry peers to gain feedback on the numerous law firms across the UK who are working in various specialist sectors.

Within its guide the Legal 500 describe Pritchetts as a “specialist data protection firm” and states that “Pritchetts Law has a ‘reliable and expert practice’ led by the ‘immensely experienced and very friendly’ Stephanie Pritchett.”

Stephanie Pritchett – Leading Individual Status

Stephanie has been consistently independently rated for her expertise in this area and has been awarded the UK Legal 500 elite "leading individual" status in its guide to outstanding lawyers nationwide. 

The most recent publication states in its national/ London ranking that “team head Stephanie Pritchett ‘has a phenomenal reputation in the space’; she is ‘hugely experienced, and commercial in her thinking, and has a very hands-on approach which allows for solid, practical and relevant advice’”.  

 In its regional/ South West ranking it goes on to state that “Data protection expert Stephanie Pritchett has a strong reputation nationally: she ‘takes a very pragmatic risk-based approach in the advice that she gives’ and is ‘very thorough in her planning of projects”. The previous publication also described Stephanie as ‘immensely experienced and very friendly’.

Ben Wootton – Recommended Lawyer Status

In this year’s publication Ben Wootton, Senior solicitor and Commercial Contracts and Data Protection specialist lawyer at Pritchetts Law, was also ranked as a recommended lawyer both regionally and nationally. 

It states in its South West Ranking that Ben Wootton “‘couples his knowledge of data protection with a strong feel for the commercial realities that companies face’, which makes his advice ‘far more valuable’”. 

It also recommends Ben in its national/ London ranking where it states that Ben ‘has extensive commercial experience and clearly understands how the sector works’.

Thank You For Your Feedback

We are absolutely delighted that following the independent research carried out by the Legal 500, it has acknowledged our particular expertise, our excellent performance and has recommended our lawyers for their client service.  

Our sincere thanks to all of our clients and peers, who kindly gave their time to provide feedback to the Legal 500 about our expertise and our services.  You have been instrumental in helping us to achieve the ranking and recommendations set out in the guide and we are very grateful.

You can find out more about us and see some of the many testimonials that we have received from our clients, at our website: http://www.pritchettslaw.com/Client_Reviews_Testimonials

UK Information Commissioner goes after company directors

At the recent House of Commons Public Bill Committee meeting, the UK’s Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, laid out a series of measures to tighten up protection and regulation in the digital age and enable the ICO to pursue individual company directors with fines in the event of data protection regulation breaches.

The ICO considers that when it levies a fine (£4 million in total were levied last year), the company in question all too often goes under before that fine can be paid, leaving the ICO with little more than a headline and an intent to punish.   Occasionally, those same directors reappear some time later with a new company.  Denham wants this to stop, and wants company directors to be personally liable for fines handed out to their companies.  At the moment, the ICO can fine up to £500,000 which would have a significant impact on any one director.  Under the GDPR these fines will increase dramatically. 

Denham made this headline recommendation when discussing the new Digital Economy Bill which intends to progress the digital agenda for individuals and government.  No further detail was offered on how this change of approach would be implemented and managed, but it signals a clear intent to ensure punitive measures are actually followed through.

A number of other measures are also on the table:

• Implementation of a new Electronic Communications Code to protect people from the practise of “nuisance calls" 
• Enabling and controlling data sharing between private companies and public authorities 
• Put the ICO’s Direct Marketing Code into statute 
• Lower the threshold defining harm to an individual following a breach 
• Improve transparency on the collection of personal data and inform on safeguards.  Publication of Privacy Impact Assessments was mooted.

 We will of course keep you posted on this and other developments with the Bill.

Pritchetts Law - A top National and Regional Firm

 

 

The major independent research guide Legal 500 has published their 2016-2017 guide this month and Pritchetts Law are absolutely delighted to have been ranked by the publication as one of the top UK National and Regional Law Firms for providing specialist data protection advice.

To rank firms, Legal 500 carry out extensive research, including carrying out many thousands of interviews with clients, competitors and industry peers to gain feedback on the numerous law firms across the UK who are working in various specialist sectors. 

Within the guide it describes Pritchetts as a “specialist data protection firm” and states that “Pritchetts Law has a ‘reliable and expert practice’ led by the ‘immensely experienced and very friendly’ Stephanie Pritchett.”

We are absolutely delighted that following the independent research carried out by the Legal 500, it has acknowledged our particular expertise, our excellent performance and has recommended our lawyers for their client service.   

Our sincere thanks to all of our clients and peers, who kindly gave their time to provide feedback to the Legal 500 about our expertise and our services.  You have been instrumental in helping us to achieve the ranking and recommendations set out in the guide and we are very grateful.