Discovery & Document Review Issues

By Gail Crawford and Ulrich Wuermeling

As the whole world now knows, the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU) in its historic referendum on 23rd June by a vote of 51.9 percent in favour of “leave” to 48.1 in favour of “remain”. This blog focusses on how that decision will impact both UK and global organisations’ compliance with data protection law.

The referendum does not start the exit process. To formally start the exit process, the UK has to serve notice under Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union which triggers a period for negotiation of the terms of the UK’s exit; with exit taking effect once those negotiations have concluded, or after two years (if sooner), irrespective of what terms have (or have not) been agreed. The two year cut-off period can only be extended with unanimous consent from all EU member states.

By Gail Crawford and Amy Taylor

It seems somewhat fitting to blog about the USA Patriot Act on this Fourth of July. On the second day of the annual Privacy Laws & Business conference in Cambridge, Peter McLaughlin, senior counsel at Foley & Lardner, took to the floor with the aim of “distinguishing fact and fiction about the scope of the law and its impact on companies outside the United States” for a predominantly European audience.

In the last slot of the

Whilst Tony Blair, the Prime Minister responsible for the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) has described the legislation as one of the biggest mistakes of his career, the current UK government’s proposals, to be implemented via the Protection of Freedoms Bill, extend the Act to cover a wide range of bodies which have previously fallen outside the traditional scope of a public body. FOIA currently applies to entities which are wholly owned by the Crown