As per the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 128 out of 194 countries have enacted legislation to secure the protection of data and privacy.
This trend has led to the emergence of specialised careers for lawyers who cater to the data protection and privacy management needs of Big Tech companies as well as startups and SMEs – both as in-house counsels and external lawyers.
For example, when the EU GDPR was going to be rolled out, Facebook started preparing, by deploying a product director and an in-house privacy lawyer, designated as the ‘Chief Privacy Officer’ to prepare for the rollout.
It’s not just tech companies anymore, but all other businesses also need to comply with data protection laws, leading to the rise of a new area of practice for lawyers as well as a new professional discipline of management.
Data protection and privacy management is now a critical aspect of running any business, and failure can lead to compromised reputation, huge fines and regulatory curbs, public backlash and loss of business.
Global law firms and large consultancy firms are building up dedicated privacy and data protection teams to cater to this need – Legal 500 recognizes “Data Protection and Privacy” as a separate practice area for ranking law firms across jurisdictions.
The pandemic increased the need for privacy protection, as the volume of interaction and transactions concluded online multiplied exponentially across the world.
This trend points to a fast growing need for lawyers in the data protection and privacy space.
The applicability of EU GDPR to offshore organizations alone led to a requirement of 75,000 DPOs.
This is not taking into account the openings for non-GDPR DPOs, to help organizations comply with data protection laws in other countries.
Even if you do a quick search, you will find a huge number of international and domestic openings in the area of data protection and privacy.
Number of jobs in developing countries like India also remains high.
Last mile customer data is extremely important for an organization to identify trends to optimise its production, marketing and sales strategies, which is why data protection is becoming inevitable even for non-tech companies.
If an organization deals with data, implementation of a privacy program is not optional.
Penalties for non-compliance are very high – in the European Union, for example, aggregate fines levied for violation of data protection norms is €261,192,138 as of January 2021 imposed in the last three years.
Global clients will refuse to work with an organization if it lacks basic data protection and privacy compliance systems, because data of their employees or customers are at risk, exposing them to huge risk of fines and reputational damage.
On the other hand, qualified professionals with experience in data protection and privacy management are few and far between. Businesses struggle to find experts in this area.
This is why job opportunities in data protection and privacy management are exploding.
Who leads the data protection and privacy initiative in an organization?
Internal and external teams comprising privacy and data protection lawyers, who can guide other business teams such as product, tech, sales and marketing to implement these insights.
The team is usually headed by a Chief Privacy Officer, who is a lawyer with a specialised domain knowledge and deep practical understanding of privacy and data protection laws.
What kinds of jobs can I secure in the field of data protection and privacy?
The most common job designations for data protection and privacy-related roles are as follows:
- Data Protection Officer – lawyers are exceptional suited towards this role
- Privacy Counsel
- Privacy Officer or Chief Privacy Officer
- Legal specialist- Contracts and Privacy
- Privacy specialist
- Associate – data protection and privacy management
Which industries can you work in if you possess the data protection and privacy management skills?
Data protection and privacy leaders can work in large multinational companies, high-growth tech startups in the Silicon Valley or anywhere else in the world, consulting firms, professional services firms in the following sectors:
- Healthcare: Hospitals, clinics, telemedicine, healthcare startups
- BFSI and Fintech: Banking, financial services, insurance, fintech, investment companies
- Energy: Oil and gas companies, utilities, alternative energy & renewables
- Pharmaceuticals: Pharmaceutical (APIs, generics contract manufacturers, etc.) biotechnology, biomedical & life sciences
- Industrial: Chemical process, engineering manufacturing companies
- Technology: Software (e-commerce, SAAS, etc.) and hardware companies
- Education: Public and private universities and colleges, training and development companies
- Services: Professional services such as legal, accounting and consulting firms
- Entertainment: Movie production, sports, gaming and casinos, OTT
- Transportation: Airlines, railroad, trucking and delivery companies
- Communication: Newspapers, book publishers, public relations and advertising agencies
- Consumer: Manufacturers and distributors of consumer products
- Media: Television, satellite, social media, Internet
- Hospitality: Hotels, restaurant chains, cruise lines
- Retail: Brick and mortar and e-commerce
- Research: Market research, think tanks, R&D
- Public: Federal, state and local government agencies and NGOs
Although lawyers are expected to undertake privacy compliance work no school is currently training lawyers to do this kind of work.
If the technology law, data protection or privacy management as a career excite you?
If you want to acquire a unique skill set that will make you a highly sought-after technology lawyer by law firms and fast-growing companies across the world and set you up for an international career?
Then join us for a FREE LIVE 3-day online bootcamp International career opportunities for lawyers in Data Protection, Privacy Management and Technology Law from 29-31 May, 6-9pm.
https://lawsikho.com/dataprotectionbootcamp
What will you learn?
- How can you take advantage of the newly minted privacy laws around the world and give your career as a technology lawyer a great boost?
- What skills will you need to help fast growing Silicon Valley startups with data protection and privacy management in various markets around the world?
- How to get internships and jobs in privacy management and compliance teams?
- What kind of remote work you can do if you are a data protection and privacy management expert?
- Why knowledge of privacy management and data protection will be critical for your success as a technology lawyer?
- What if you want to shift from purely legal roles to business roles and leadership? How can you make that happen?
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One reply on “Job opportunities in the data protection field”
Hello i want join this bootcamp course GDPR but unfortuntly join link not connected 😕 what will be do for this course