Job Description:

A&O Shearman are hiring for a Paralegal - Data Privacy Analyst to join the Data Privacy team in Belfast.

Data Privacy Team

A&O Shearman’s Risk function, led by partner, Simon Fuge, is comprised of teams of market leading experts and is at the heart of the sustainability and success of our firm. It has a core responsibility to uphold the values of A&O Shearman and support the strategic objectives of the business. Our lawyers and industry experts provide high quality legal and risk advice to the global firm, its senior management, governance bodies and partners.

The mission of the Data Privacy Team is to foster a strong culture of data protection compliance throughout A&O Shearman’s while providing pragmatic and business-focused advice in a highly regulated area. The Data Privacy Team advises the global firm on:

• Data privacy compliance globally
• Data governance
• AI governance
• Cyber security and data incident response

What you will do

The key aspects of the role:

• Supporting the work of the team, including in relation to its market leading AI and data governance programme.
• Gathering, analysing and interpreting data to directly support the Data Privacy Team’s advisory and operational work, including handling individual rights requests.
• Maintaining and reporting on documentation required to be maintained under applicable Data Protection Laws and to demonstrate compliance with applicable data protection laws, liaising with other teams globally.
• Managing and maintaining specialist privacy software as part of the firm’s GDPR compliance and record-keeping requirements.
• Triaging requests for support, addressing common queries and seeking support from the team as required.
• Contributing to the development and upkeep of the firm’s global data privacy policies, guidance and pro-forma documentation, playing a direct part in shaping the standards and frameworks that underpin the firm’s data privacy compliance.
• Maintaining regulatory registration and notification requirements.
• Assisting with preparation of communications, presentations and training materials for the Data Privacy Team and others.
• Supporting the Data Privacy Team in delivering the firm’s global privacy compliance programme.
• Co-ordinate and maintain logs, records and trackers to support effective decision-making and demonstrate legal and regulatory compliance.
• Conducting research to support the work of the team and the needs of the global business.

Who we are looking for

The ideal candidate will have the following skills and experience:

• A law degree.
• Excellent (and demonstrable) IT skills, including at a minimum proficiency in Powerpoint, Excel and Microsoft Office applications.
• Demonstrable experience of working within a professional environment.
• Excellent communication skills at all levels, including with senior stakeholders.
• A proven ability to work independently and proactively and to manage and prioritise a busy workload.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• A collaborative approach and ability to work well in a small team.
• A genuine interest in data privacy, cyber and/or AI with a keen desire to develop a career in this area.

Desirable but non-essential

• Knowledge and experience of data protection compliance work.
• Experience of using eDiscovery tools, such as Relativity.
• Prior experience working within a law firm, in-house legal team or in another professional services environment.
• Experience of using or interest in the use of AI in a legal context.