LLG Information Management National Lead Meeting: How to avoid being a rabbit in headlights during a cyber attack

Vicki Bowles, Partner

Vicki is a Partner and barrister, specialising in information and privacy law. She has been providing pragmatic, clear and strategic advice on data protection, privacy, confidentiality and access to information since 2005, when working as in house legal advisor within the government legal service. 

Vicki advises on all areas of data protection, including compliance (audits, policies and accountability), data subject requests - particularly in the context of complex disputes where practical and strategic advice is required, data breaches, the data protection elements of cybersecurity, corporate due diligence, requests for disclosure made by authorities such as the police or courts, international transfers and TRAs, and contractual clauses relevant to information sharing. 

Vicki also advises in relation to the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations – usually in relation to sensitive or complex matters and the applicability of exemptions and internal reviews, but she has also supervised junior in-house specialist teams and assisted with procedures for dealing with requests. She has experience with the Information Rights Tribunal, in the context of Freedom of Information Act appeals, and regularly contribute articles in the PDP FOI Journal.  

Other areas of specialism include the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations both in terms of the requirements for marketing and the collection and use of data from cookies, and the sharing and use of confidential information for the purposes of research.