Liz Fitzsimons

Partner, Privacy & Information Law at Eversheds Sutherland

Speaker

Liz Fitzsimons is a partner who helps clients to overcome their data, privacy and cyber security challenges.

Liz has over 30 years of legal experience which she uses to assist clients like you. She has been helping clients with their data protection and information law needs for over 20 years and has been counselling clients on their on-line privacy and direct marketing risks and strategies for almost as long. The risks of cyber security attacks have increased through this period and Liz can also help you to prepare for, risk assess and deal with those incidents. Assisted by her wide and varied practice over the years in this field for private and public clients in numerous sectors, Liz applies a valuable breadth of knowledge, combined with depth of detailed understanding of relevant issues, to your needs in order to provide you with risk based strategies and pragmatic solutions. Her clients include global multi-nationals, household brand names, leading national businesses, public bodies, water utilities and public transport organisations.

In addition to helping with day to day issues, Liz can help you to deal with your regulatory compliance needs, preparation of templates agreements, or revising and negotiating your contracts. Liz has also frequently helped clients with product counselling, including for connected devices, and 'smart' IOT products, and development of data transfer and compliance programs, working with global colleagues to deliver approaches which can operate across multiple countries or global regions.

A large part of Liz’s work is helping clients to manage sensitive data issues, including third party or public requests for data, complaints to regulators and their investigations, helping to defend enforcement action and claims and appealing regulatory decisions, including in the Information Tribunal. This includes dealing with Freedom of Information legislation and issues arising in respect of the Environmental Information Regulations. Liz often helps clients to understand to what extent data legislation and information law regimes apply to them, their activities and records, and how they best manage their impact, overlap and interaction. This includes providing clients with data-driven advice on structures, arrangements and documentation around complex partnering, outsourcing, joint venture and data sharing arrangements.

Helping clients to upskill their teams and help themselves, Liz frequently provides data related training to clients. Liz has particular experience working with technology and telecoms clients, industrials, retail/consumer businesses, insurers, clients in the life science and healthcare sector, utilities, energy companies, public bodies and those in the education sector.