Global Law Experts
Discover top Privacy lawyers and legal experts worldwide on Global Law Experts. Connect with independent members renowned for expertise and recognition.
Privacy law governs the collection, storage, and use of personal data, ensuring that organizations respect individual rights and maintain information security. This practice involves interpreting a complex web of global regulations, such as the GDPR, CCPA, and emerging AI-driven data laws. Attorneys provide the essential framework for developing robust internal policies, managing cross-border data transfers, and responding to high-stakes data breaches to mitigate both legal liability and reputational harm.
Global Law Experts connects you with premier privacy specialists who navigate the digital landscape with precision. These lawyers are established experts within their own fields, offering the technical insight required to conduct privacy impact assessments and ensure compliance in an era of rapid technological change. Whether you are a tech startup scaling globally or a multinational managing sensitive consumer data, they provide the strategic advocacy needed to foster trust and ensure operational resilience.
Every GLE member is independently vetted by practice area and jurisdiction.
The distinction lies in what they protect: a Privacy lawyer protects people, while a Cybersecurity lawyer protects systems. A Privacy lawyer focuses on civil rights and compliance, ensuring you have the legal right to collect data, that you are transparent about how you use it, and that you respect user choices like “opt-outs.” A Cybersecurity lawyer focuses on risk and incident response, helping you defend against hackers, managing the legal fallout of a data breach, and working with law enforcement to track down cybercriminals.
The biggest difference is the default assumption about consent. The European GDPR is an “Opt-In” law, meaning you generally cannot collect or use data until the user actively clicks “Yes.” The California CCPA (and its successor, CPRA) is an “Opt-Out” law, meaning you can legally collect and sell data by default, provided you give the user a clear way to stop you (like a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link). Additionally, the GDPR applies to almost any business handling EU data, whereas the CCPA only applies to businesses that meet specific revenue or volume thresholds.
If you have visitors from Europe or the UK, absolutely yes; the “ePrivacy Directive” requires you to block all non-essential cookies until the user gives explicit consent. In the US, the rules are looser; under the CCPA, you generally do not need a pop-up banner for simple tracking, but you must disclose your cookie usage in your privacy policy. However, if you “sell” data via cookies (like using aggressive ad-retargeting trackers), US law increasingly requires a banner or footer link allowing users to opt out of that specific sale.
When a customer asks to see the data you hold on them, a lawyer acts as a filter to ensure you don’t accidentally break other laws while complying. They verify the requestor’s identity to prevent data theft and then redact sensitive internal documents—such as trade secrets or emails discussing legal strategy—that the customer is not entitled to see. They also ensure you meet the strict deadline, which is typically one calendar month in the UK and Europe, or 45 days in California.
Speed is the critical legal requirement. Under the GDPR, you must report a serious breach to the supervisory authority (like the ICO in the UK) within a strict 72-hour window after discovering it. In the US, the timeline is a patchwork of 50 different state laws; while some states allow “reasonable time,” others like Maine have strict 30-day deadlines. A lawyer coordinates this global timeline to ensure you notify regulators and victims fast enough to avoid fines, but not so fast that you release incorrect information that you have to retract later.
Yes, because simply emailing a spreadsheet of customer names from London to New York can technically be illegal. A lawyer drafts specific contracts called Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or helps you self-certify under the Data Privacy Framework (DPF). These legal mechanisms act as a “compliance wrapper” for the data, ensuring that when it leaves a protective jurisdiction like Europe, it carries the same legal protections with it to the US, preventing regulators from blocking your data flows.
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the US imposes a strict “digital age of consent” at 13 years old. If your website is directed at children or you knowingly collect data from them, you cannot use standard “click-to-agree” forms; you must obtain “Verifiable Parental Consent.” This often requires a lawyer to help you implement a “neutral age gate” and set up a high-friction verification method, such as requiring a credit card transaction or a signed form from the parent, before the child can access the service.
“Privacy by Design” is a legal requirement under the GDPR that forces you to embed privacy settings into the core architecture of your product rather than adding them as an afterthought. This means legal defaults must be set to “High Privacy” automatically; for example, a new social media account should not default to “Public” visibility. A lawyer reviews your user interface (UI) to ensure you aren’t using “Dark Patterns”—manipulative design tricks that trick users into agreeing to data collection—which are increasingly illegal in both the US and EU.
The distinction lies in what they protect: a Privacy lawyer protects people, while a Cybersecurity lawyer protects systems. A Privacy lawyer focuses on civil rights and compliance, ensuring you have the legal right to collect data, that you are transparent about how you use it, and that you respect user choices like "opt-outs." A Cybersecurity lawyer focuses on risk and incident response, helping you defend against hackers, managing the legal fallout of a data breach, and working with law enforcement to track down cybercriminals.
The biggest difference is the default assumption about consent. The European GDPR is an "Opt-In" law, meaning you generally cannot collect or use data until the user actively clicks "Yes." The California CCPA (and its successor, CPRA) is an "Opt-Out" law, meaning you can legally collect and sell data by default, provided you give the user a clear way to stop you (like a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link). Additionally, the GDPR applies to almost any business handling EU data, whereas the CCPA only applies to businesses that meet specific revenue or volume thresholds.
If you have visitors from Europe or the UK, absolutely yes; the "ePrivacy Directive" requires you to block all non-essential cookies until the user gives explicit consent. In the US, the rules are looser; under the CCPA, you generally do not need a pop-up banner for simple tracking, but you must disclose your cookie usage in your privacy policy. However, if you "sell" data via cookies (like using aggressive ad-retargeting trackers), US law increasingly requires a banner or footer link allowing users to opt out of that specific sale.
When a customer asks to see the data you hold on them, a lawyer acts as a filter to ensure you don't accidentally break other laws while complying. They verify the requestor's identity to prevent data theft and then redact sensitive internal documents—such as trade secrets or emails discussing legal strategy—that the customer is not entitled to see. They also ensure you meet the strict deadline, which is typically one calendar month in the UK and Europe, or 45 days in California.
Speed is the critical legal requirement. Under the GDPR, you must report a serious breach to the supervisory authority (like the ICO in the UK) within a strict 72-hour window after discovering it. In the US, the timeline is a patchwork of 50 different state laws; while some states allow "reasonable time," others like Maine have strict 30-day deadlines. A lawyer coordinates this global timeline to ensure you notify regulators and victims fast enough to avoid fines, but not so fast that you release incorrect information that you have to retract later.
Yes, because simply emailing a spreadsheet of customer names from London to New York can technically be illegal. A lawyer drafts specific contracts called Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or helps you self-certify under the Data Privacy Framework (DPF). These legal mechanisms act as a "compliance wrapper" for the data, ensuring that when it leaves a protective jurisdiction like Europe, it carries the same legal protections with it to the US, preventing regulators from blocking your data flows.
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the US imposes a strict "digital age of consent" at 13 years old. If your website is directed at children or you knowingly collect data from them, you cannot use standard "click-to-agree" forms; you must obtain "Verifiable Parental Consent." This often requires a lawyer to help you implement a "neutral age gate" and set up a high-friction verification method, such as requiring a credit card transaction or a signed form from the parent, before the child can access the service.
"Privacy by Design" is a legal requirement under the GDPR that forces you to embed privacy settings into the core architecture of your product rather than adding them as an afterthought. This means legal defaults must be set to "High Privacy" automatically; for example, a new social media account should not default to "Public" visibility. A lawyer reviews your user interface (UI) to ensure you aren't using "Dark Patterns"—manipulative design tricks that trick users into agreeing to data collection—which are increasingly illegal in both the US and EU.
Global Law Experts is dedicated to providing exceptional legal services to clients around the world. With a vast network of highly skilled and experienced lawyers, we are committed to delivering innovative and tailored solutions to meet the diverse needs of our clients in various jurisdictions.
Global Law Experts is dedicated to providing exceptional legal services to clients around the world. With a vast network of highly skilled and experienced lawyers, we are committed to delivering innovative and tailored solutions to meet the diverse needs of our clients in various jurisdictions.
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