At Browne Jacobson, we’ve always worked across business and society, and this expertise sets us apart. Social and environmental impact are at the top of our business agenda. We champion fairness, make the complex simple and forge connections between clients to find creative solutions. This is how we improve outcomes for every person, community and business we serve.

With offices in Birmingham, Dublin, Exeter, London, Manchester and Nottingham, we’re a UK & I based law firm with an international reach. Our sectors include: health; real estate and construction; education; energy and infrastructure; financial services; government; insurance; manufacturing and industrials; and retail, consumer and logistics.

We nurture talent at all levels and from every background and celebrate what makes people individuals. Law needs all voices to reflect the society it serves and we’re working towards social mobility, diversity and inclusion in our firm - and our profession. We strive to create meaningful personal and professional development opportunities and offer flexible working in support of a good work-life balance. We focus on wellbeing and individuality, so that all our people can thrive.

Why is this role important and how does it fit into the team, department and wider firm?

The data protection legal assistant will be a key team member of the Commercial team, working closely with partners and fee earners, as well as directly with clients, on their compliance obligations.

Data work affects all clients in different ways, and this is a unique opportunity to get to know a wide range of clients across a variety of sectors.

What does the role actually involve?

Providing legal support to the data protection practice in the Commercial team, working closely with data specialists in other teams as required.

• Legal research in response to client queries
• Drafting client advice on a range of data protection matters
• Reviewing basic contractual documents such as DPAs
• Drafting and reviewing privacy and cookie notices and other data protection policies
• Assisting clients with all stages of responding to subject access requests, including the review and redaction of large volumes of documents
• Assisting with GDPR compliance audits and remediation programmes
• Advising on requirements under PECR relating to cookies and direct marketing
• Supporting lawyers in the team with all aspects of their work
• Writing articles for the website and other publications
• Assisting with the preparation of pitch documents and marketing materials
• Keeping up to date with legal developments and co-ordinating regular knowledge sharing sessions for the team

The firm operates a set of core principles that guides our working practice. It’s called ‘One Firm, Wherever You Are’.

You might have enjoyed working from home and would like to split your time between there and the office/ other work locations. Others may be eager to return to the office on a more regular basis. We believe that a regular level of in-person contact is an important way to build connections with your colleagues, enhancing knowledge and idea sharing and enabling all of us to benefit from the vibrant office culture Browne Jacobson has to offer.

Our expectation is that, on average, you’ll work from home for no more than three days per week, with the remainder of your time either spent with your colleagues in the office or working from other locations as work demands dictate, e.g. courts, client offices, conferences etc. This is an average expectation over time and we know that there will be variations from week to week. Equally, there will be individual circumstances in which a different pattern of work is needed, for example as an agreed reasonable adjustment for colleagues with a disability or long-term medical condition.

We believe this approach:

• fits with our values and personality;
• will enhance our performance through greater flexibility;
• advances our ambitions as an inclusive employer – helping you better balance work and family/life commitments;
• offers opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint (travel, office services etc.), a key ambition underpinning our corporate sustainability plan.

What technical skills are required for someone to be successful and enjoy the role?

• Strong technical familiarity with Excel, and a bonus would be familiarity with litigation discovery systems, though the latter is not a requirement
• Organisation skills at a high level, and a true self-starter. This growing area of law is ever evolving, and there will be lots of opportunity to enhance your skills
• Project management skills and an ability to work in a cross-departmental way, as the firm’s data specialists work across the firm

Who would be a good fit for this role?

As part of the Commercial team, you would be expected to have the following skills and experience:

• A proactive, professional and flexible attitude to work
• Confident and able to work on own initiative
• Able to work under pressure in a demanding role
• Able to adopt a common sense approach with excellent attention to detail
• Good organisational skills and able to manage own time effectively
• Keen to develop over a period of time with a willingness and ability to learn
• Effective communicator, able to establish professional relationships with clients and colleagues