Claire is an associate in the intellectual property team.
Claire focuses on data protection and privacy work, including EU and UK GDPR and related international privacy law compliance. Her practice includes advising a number of clients (in particular early seed round and start-ups), on compliance queries relating to commercial contracts, data sharing, corporate transactions, and e-commerce. Claire's work for clients involves a range of matters, from creating a compliant data protection posture to addressing operational issues relating to data protection, cybersecurity and data breaches for businesses as they grow.
In addition to helping start-up tech organisations, Claire also advises charities and not for profit organisations on various data protection related matters, such as data subject access requests and employee data protection queries.
Me in a minute
I find satisfaction in enabling talented individuals to turn their business ideas into successful commercial enterprises.
I became a technology and data protection lawyer as an evolution of my earlier career in international high technology, in which I focused on marketing, business development and strategic partnerships in various blue-chip telecoms, networking and IT companies. This involved dealing in hardware and software in the US, Europe and Asia, working for companies such as BT, Cisco Systems and SAP. During this earlier career I saw how quickly partnerships and deals might be pushed through without first planning the joint venture, partnership, new entity or market entry - with attendant adverse legal consequences if it all goes wrong, and conversely, how smoothly it can go if it is properly planned and regulated in advance.
I find satisfaction in enabling talented individuals to turn their business ideas into successful commercial enterprises, so I strive to be a 'yes, and here is how you can do it' focused advisor. This involves assisting companies to keep pace with the law and how it applies to new technologies and working to apply existing frameworks and guidance creatively but compliantly to novel situations which the law might not yet have specifically addressed.
I aim to facilitate business ventures, and, where needed, to explain complex issues simply but ultimately to provide practical solutions to a client’s legal questions in a cost-effective way.
As a career expatriate I have lived in various countries including Singapore, Austria and Germany. I speak American English, Austrian German and Mexican Spanish – so I enjoy a Viennese Sachertorte just as much as a Singapore chili crab. I enjoy the diverse cultural connections that a global firm like Withers Worldwide provides.