{"id":6300,"date":"2017-04-10T14:03:17","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T13:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clio.com\/uk\/?post_type=blog-post&p=6300"},"modified":"2024-11-26T15:40:46","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T15:40:46","slug":"gdpr-uk-law-firms-preparation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketing.dev.clio.systems\/uk\/blog\/gdpr-uk-law-firms-preparation\/","title":{"rendered":"The GDPR: How U.K. Law Firms Can Prepare"},"content":{"rendered":"

From 25 May 2018, while Brexit negotiations are still ongoing, the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation<\/a> (GDPR) will apply to every organisation that processes E.U. residents\u2019 personally identifiable information, with fines of up to 4 per cent of annual worldwide turnover for noncompliance. Since law firms deal with plenty of personally identifiable information, they\u2019ll need to ensure they\u2019re following the GDPR by this date.<\/p>\n

This requirement isn\u2019t likely to go away after the U.K. leaves the E.U. either. To trade with E.U. member states after Brexit, GDPR standards are likely to be a prerequisite. Therefore, it is unlikely that the U.K. will transpose this regulation any less rigorously.<\/p>\n

How can your firm ensure compliance without losing time to administrative\u2014and non-billable\u2014work? Here are a few tips:<\/p>\n

1. Know the rules<\/h2>\n

Make sure you\u2019re familiar with the rules outlined in the GDPR. This overview of the regulation from the Information Commissioner’s Office<\/a> is a good place to start. You can also look for legal industry-specific comments on the regulation from larger firms like DLA Piper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Information Commissioner\u2019s Office also has a what\u2019s new page<\/a> that constantly gets updated with the latest guidance on the regulations from the Article 29 working party. Keep an eye on this page. There\u2019s current guidance on data portability, data protection officers, and lead supervisory authorities, but the working party is also expected to publish guidance on a number of other areas, including consent, transparency, and profiling.<\/p>\n

2. Start early<\/h2>\n

May 2018 might still seem far away, but it\u2019ll be here before you know it. If you don\u2019t have measures in place to ensure transparency in how you use your clients\u2019 personal data, you need to start planning now.<\/p>\n

For example, can your clients access their personal data, and confirm that it is being processed? If not, start looking now at tools and processes that will allow your firm to do that. Which brings us to our final tip …<\/p>\n

3. Use tools<\/h2>\n

Ensuring compliance with the GDPR might seem daunting, but luckily, your firm doesn\u2019t need to go it alone. There are plenty of tools out there that will help your firm stay compliant without adding extra effort on your end.<\/p>\n

For example, Amiqus ID<\/a> is a fast, secure, and reliable tool that helps you to complete anti-money laundering, identity and ongoing compliance checks. Better yet, the company has recently launched an integration with Clio, the world\u2019s leading cloud-based legal practice management provider. Clio\u2019s integration with Amiqus ID provides you with a compliance dashboard that already addresses the key areas that firms need to consider in preparation for the implementation of GDPR, with more features to be added as guidance for implementation progresses.<\/p>\n

Amiqus ID compliance features include:<\/p>\n