
Tom FordManaging Associate
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- tom.ford@lewissilkin.com
I am a member of Lewis Silkin's Data & Privacy Group and specialise in data protection and data privacy law.
Sitting within both Lewis Silkin’s data & privacy group and top-tier employment law division, I advise leading multinational organisations on data privacy issues from a risk and governance, workplace, and commercial perspective. Taking a pragmatic, risk-based approach to compliance, I work with clients to address their data privacy issues in a way that is proportionate and practical.
I have considerable experience of running projects across multiple jurisdictions, both inside and outside the EU, and work with clients in the media & entertainment, tech, finance, legal, and marketing sectors.
I have particular expertise in:
- GDPR compliance strategy;
- transparency requirements, including internal and external privacy notices;
- documentation requirements, internal policies and protocols;
- data protection impact assessments (DPIAs);
- data processing and data sharing agreements;
- data subject access requests (DSARs) and other rights requests;
- data breaches and data breach reporting;
- regulatory investigations;
- data retention strategy;
- Covid-19 testing and the collection and use of vaccination data;
- diversity and inclusion monitoring;
- employee vetting and background checks.
Some of my recent work highlights include:
- leading a major global project on the data privacy implications of Covid-19 'back to work' measures, including Covid-19 testing and the processing of data on vaccination status;
- providing detailed advice on global diversity and inclusion initiatives, including practical steps for the management of associated data privacy risks;
- drafting and advising on the implementation of complex group data sharing arrangements involving multiple client stakeholders in the UK, EU and US; and
- advising on the processing of data relating to criminal offences and the intersection of data privacy laws with industry-specific regulatory requirements (for example, those applicable in the legal and financial services industries).
Awards and Recognition
- Rising Star in Legal 500 2022 (Data Protection)
- Legal 500 2021 (Employment) - ‘Tom Ford has a fantastic balance of employment and data privacy knowledge'