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Emma Drake

Partner, Privacy, Data Protection and Online Safety, CIPP/E at Bird & Bird LLP

Emma Drake is a Partner in the Privacy and Data Protection Group at Bird & Bird, an international law firm.13 Here are some key details about her:

Professional Background

  • Emma specializes in privacy and data protection law, with a focus on GDPR and UK data protection regulations.3
  • She works with a wide variety of organizations, particularly in the life sciences and sports sectors.3
  • Prior to becoming a Partner, Emma held the position of Legal Director in Bird & Bird's Privacy and Data Protection Group.1

Expertise

Emma has experience in several areas related to data protection and privacy:

  • Helping clients with research exemptions and anonymization
  • Assessing compliance of new medical technologies
  • Advising on patient support programs
  • Handling data processing for pharmaceutical regulations like pharmacovigilance
  • Addressing restrictions under the ABPI code1

Recent Promotion

Emma Drake was promoted to Partner at Bird & Bird in May 2024 as part of the firm's annual global promotion round.2 This promotion reflects her expertise and contributions to the Privacy and Data Protection practice at the firm.

Highlights

May 23 · linkedin

It is perhaps fitting that it is with the imminent arrival of the 6th birthday of the GDPR (and UK Data Protection Act) that the #DPDI Bill slips to an unmourned demise. Unless a very hasty amendment is made to the business papers for tomorrow, the attempts to tweak UK DP reform will be dropped. Any new government and parliament would have to start again.

What does this mean? Well some initial points to consider if you’d begun your planning!

👩‍💼 Have you held off appointing a UK DPO or UK representative? Don’t keep putting it off: Bird & Bird - Privacy & Data Protection’s Privacy Solutions team can help. No need to find a Senior Responsible Individual either! 📝ROPAs and DPIAs will be unchanged - so don’t lower your expectations! 🍪No cookie rule changes - so no new clear exemptions for looking at device data for analytics, fraud prevention, safety or service prevention without consent. 🔍ICO powers are unchanged - so no scary interviews just yet, but also no change to complaints processes, or to the nature of the regulator 💰No increase to PECR fines - so email marketing failures are not going to be dramatically more scary.

Will the next government pick DP reform back up? Perhaps - but I’d be surprised if it took the same approaches on most issues, especially as I would expect any new consultation to lead to clear responses that some of the previous attempt was unwelcome!

Anything you wish we’d got?

#ukgdpr #ukdpreform #dpo

May 1 · linkedin

I am delighted to have joined the partnership at Bird & Bird today. When I first rocked up as a first day trainee back in 2010, I could not have predicted the various twists my career would take up to this point (not least because I'd never heard of data protection law!) What I could have told you, though, is that this is the only place I wanted to build my career. I have been so fortunate to work with such fantastic colleagues and clients throughout the last 14 years. Here's to many more years hurtling through the ever widening regulatory world of privacy and online safety, with the ever-brilliant Bird & Bird - Privacy & Data Protection team.

There are always too many people to thank, and this isn't the Oscars: but two particular shout outs. First, professionally, to the peerless Ruth Boardman - there is no better mentor for a data protection lawyer, and I am so very grateful she had the foresight to believe in specialist NQs back in 2012. And, personally, to wonderful Alastair Cowley - without whom the ability to keep on swimming through GDPR, and the continuing juggle of being a working SEN mum, would have been absolutely impossible.

Related Questions

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Emma Drake
Emma Drake, photo 1
Emma Drake, photo 2
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Location

Greater London, England, United Kingdom