Meet the team

Stewart Room (Partner, London)

Stewart, a dual qualified solicitor and barrister, is a partner in our Privacy and Information Law Group.  He is recognised as a leading expert in the contentious aspects of privacy and data protection law (particularly cases involving regulatory intervention by the Information Commissioner), informational security and data theft, data processing for the purposes of crime prevention and law enforcement and the use of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (“PETs”).  Clients include Marks and Spencer, BP, Kroll, Unicef, Hitachi Data Systems, EMC, Computer Associates, RSA and Symantec. He is the author of Data Protection and Compliance in Context (2006, British Computer Society), the author of the data protection chapter in Goode: Consumer Credit Law and Practice (Butterworths) and a regular contributor to academic and trade journals.  In 2007 he was elected President of the National Association of Data Protection Officers (he was the elected Chairman from 2004 to 2007). 

Eduardo Ustaran (Partner, London)

Eduardo is the head of the Privacy and Information Law Group and an internationally recognised expert in privacy and data protection law. He advises on the impact of EU data protection law on the strategy and operational activities of all types of organisations, including FTSE 100 companies such as BP, BSkyB and Pearson, leading internet businesses like Google and Expedia, and public sector bodies such as the Government of Bermuda. Eduardo advises a number of international clients on the adoption of global privacy strategies. He regularly manages teams of lawyers across many jurisdictions and has assisted data protection regulators from different countries to align their positions and interpretation of the law. Eduardo advises on the privacy aspects of globalisation and has experience of drafting and negotiating data protection Binding Corporate Rules. He has also advised on the development, implementation and management of the UK’s leading fraud data-sharing system, and on the global roll out of biometric data collection procedures. He is a regular contributor to legal and industry journals and has taken part in many UK and international speaking engagements. He is Co-chairman of KnowledgeNet London, editor of Data Protection Law & Policy and a member of the editorial board of E-commerce Law Reports. Eduardo is co-author of E-Privacy and Online Data Protection (Butterworths, September 2002) and of the Law Society’s Data Protection Handbook (July 2004).

Marcus Turle (Partner, London)

Marcus is a transactional and advisory lawyer who specialises in privacy and information law.  He works with multinational corporations in the professional services, banking and technology sectors, for whom he has conducted global data privacy compliance programmes, multi-jurisdictional projects for data transfers and contract negotiations for outsourced data processing services.  He has also advised on the information law aspects of some of the UK government's most groundbreaking technology projects, including the National Identity Card Scheme, the IMPACT programme to create a police national computer for the sharing of intelligence by more than 40 police forces, and the outsourcing of the National DNA Database to the Forensic Science Service.

Marcus is the author of three books: Data Protection Laws of the World, a two volume practitioners guide to data protection legislation in over 60 countries, updated twice a year; Freedom of Information Manual and Freedom of Information Handbook. He also edits the journal Freedom of Information, the only legal journal available dedicated to this area.  He is a Visiting Lecturer on the Information Rights LLM course run by Northumbria University, a postgraduate masters degree sponsored by the UK government’s Ministry of Justice and the Information Commissioner, the UK’s data protection regulator.  He is also ranked as a "Leading Individual" for data protection by Chambers UK, the sector guide to legal professionals.

 

Victoria Hordern (Senior Associate, London)

Victoria is a senior associate in our Privacy and Information Law Group focusing on international data protection matters. She advises clients in both the private and public sectors on data protection, freedom of information, IT and e-commerce, and general commercial issues. Victoria assists on the management of international data protection projects and advises multinationals on how to comply with EU data protection requirements across all Member States. She has dealt with privacy regulators throughout the EU. Her work includes advising organisations on how to legitimise international data transfers by means such as the use of the EU approved contractual clauses and the drafting and implementation of Binding Corporate Rules. Victoria has assisted with the drafting of data protection law for a non-EU government and carried out a detailed analysis of data processing operations for a global provider of risk intelligence. She advises on a range of data protection matters from e-marketing, privacy policies, data sharing, surveillance and monitoring to outsourcing arrangements. Victoria also advises organisations in the public and private sector from police authorities to multinationals on the impact of the Freedom of Information Act. Victoria’s clients include BP, Stiefel Laboratories (UK) Limited, Digital UK, Freesat, NCS Pearson Inc and Verizon.

Sian Rudgard (Senior Associate, Manchester)

Sian is a senior associate in our Privacy and Information Law Group specialising in data protection and freedom of information and joined Field Fisher Waterhouse in 2007 from the Information Commissioner’s Office ("ICO").  Sian advises on a range of data protection matters and, in particular, has an unrivalled level of knowledge of Binding Corporate Rules ("BCR") to legitimise international data transfers, having led the assessment and authorisation of the first two BCR schemes ever approved by the ICO. Since joining Field Fisher Waterhouse, Sian has been working with a number of clients on their BCR projects and has experience of drafting and negotiating BCR and dealing with privacy regulators throughout the EU. Sian also advises public and private sector clients on the application of the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA")  and the Environmental Information Regulations ("EIR") with particular reference to the application of the exemptions and the impact of FOIA on the private sector. Sian speaks regularly on a range of data protection issues, in particular on international data transfers, and has experience of delivering training on data protection, FOIA and the EIR.

Antonis Patrikios (Senior Associate (Greek Qualified), London)

Antonis is a Dikigoros (Athens Bar Association) and a Registered European Lawyer with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. He is a Senior Associate in our Privacy and Information Law Group. He advises on data protection, privacy and information matters with a focus on the telecommunications, media & entertainment and technology sectors. The clients Antonis works with include some of the world’s largest international corporations in these sectors. His recent experience includes advising on cutting edge cross-jurisdictional data protection, privacy and information matters, being part of the FFW teams advising on binding corporate rules programmes and cross-jurisdictional employee monitoring matters, advising on website compliance, privacy policies, and e-commerce terms and conditions, advising on data security matters and freedom of information matters. Antonis has considerable experience advising on commercial transactions and agreements in the telecommunications, broadcasting, technology, new media and e-business fields. He has completed several secondments to key clients including a major UK broadcaster, a global mobile communications group, a major US telecoms company and a video on demand start-up. Antonis regularly writes and speaks on matters of interest. He holds a PhD in e-business law from the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London. His working languages are English and Greek.

Nuria Pastor (Solicitor/Abogada, London)

Nuria is a dually qualified English Solicitor and Spanish Abogada in our Privacy and Information Law Group and joined Field Fisher Waterhouse in July 2007. She is a data protection specialist who worked for nearly four years in the IT law department of Landwell in Barcelona. She has an LL.M in European and International Trade Law from Leicester University and a Master of Jurisprudence from the University of Birmingham. Nuria recently finished a one year part-time secondment at a leading global education service provider where she acted as an interim Data Protection Officer. Her role involved the undertaking of a data protection audit across the organisation. She also has relevant experience in advising on key data protection matters relating to both UK and Spanish law, including advising clients in the context of enforcement actions by the Spanish Data Protection Regulator and the UK Information Commissioner's Office ("ICO").  She has also been involved in various projects involving international data privacy matters, such as the roll-out of whistleblowing schemes, pan-European data protection registrations, the compliance with anti-spam laws across various EU member states and the legitimisation of international data transfers. Nuria assists in the coordination of the editorship of Data Protection Laws of the Word (Sweet & Maxwell) and participates in the drafting of the chapter for Spain. Nuria was one of the speakers at the Field Fisher Waterhouse Privacy & Information Crammer in October 2007 and the Data Protection Summit 2008 and has recently spoken at a series of breakfast briefings held by Field Fisher Waterhouse on the recent changes to the Spanish data protection legislation. 

Michelle Levin (Associate, London)

Michelle Levin is an associate in our Privacy and Information Law Group. Michelle’s practice now focuses on data protection and data security matters, advising on subjects such as email encryption, email archiving and data subject access requests. However, since qualifying she has also advised on a range of technology matters with a focus on commercial agreements within e-commerce, broadcasting and telecommunications sectors. Such experience has included advising on and drafting commercial telecommunications agreements, software licences, website terms of use and distribution agreements. 

Michelle has worked with a variety of private and public sector clients, most notably in the technology & telecommunications and retail sectors including broadcasters, internet companies and government departments.  Michelle has recently completed a secondment to the in-house Information, Privacy and Compliance team at a major UK broadcaster, which built on the experience gained during an earlier secondment in that sector.  Michelle has contributed to Data Protection and Cloud Computing, IT Law Today, June 2009, 17(6); Contributed to Data Security Law and Practice, Stewart Room (To be Published Autumn 2009, Butterworths)

 

Hannah Jackson (Solicitor, London)

Hannah Jackson is a solicitor in our Privacy and Information Law Group. Hannah qualified in 2009 and her work focuses on data protection and freedom of information matters, advising on subjects such as data retention, international data transfers and compliance with EU data protection requirements.  Hannah has worked with a variety of private and public sector clients in the technology & telecommunications sectors, from start-up companies to government departments. 

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Brian Davidson (Privacy and Information Practice Coordinator, London)

Brian is Privacy & Information Practice Co-ordinator in our Privacy and Information Law Group. He supports the Group in the provision of advice, research and information to clients on UK, European and international data protection matters and is responsible for the co-ordination of pan-European registration projects for clients. Brian is also content editor for 'DPA Law' –Field Fisher Waterhouse's privacy and data protection client website.  

Brian has contributed to various legal and industry journals and was one of the speakers in the Field Fisher Waterhouse ‘Privacy and Information Law Summit 2008’. Brian previously worked in legal publishing as commissioning and managing editor for a series of legal publications covering global data protection, e-commerce and e-finance issues. He has a BA (Honours) degree in Law with Administrative Studies and an LL.M in Information Technology & Telecommunications Law from the University of Strathclyde.