Legal Director - Cyber (FTC) in London

Role: Legal Director

Department: Cyber

Location: London

Contract: 12-month fixed term contract

The Team

With multi-jurisdictional experience aligned to the far-reaching international exposure of cyberattacks and data breaches, Clyde & Co’s global team provides practical, commercial and tailored advice to clients facing increasingly sophisticated cyber and data risks. Cyber liability is among the most complex and fast-evolving risks challenging organisations today. We advise clients across the full lifecycle of cyber risk through the Readiness, Respond and Recover phases. Our work includes advising corporate clients, insurers and insureds on cyber preparedness, incident response, regulatory engagement, cyber-related litigation and post-breach recovery strategies. We regularly coordinate international breach responses involving forensic investigators, PR consultants, regulators, law enforcement agencies and global stakeholders. The practice is internationally recognised, highly collaborative and continuing to grow rapidly. This role presents an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and commercially minded Legal Director to take on a senior leadership position within a market-leading cyber practice.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Legal Director to play a leading role within our expanding cyber team. The successful candidate will work closely with partners and senior stakeholders across the global practice, advising clients on high-profile and business-critical cyber incidents, regulatory investigations and disputes. This is a strategic role involving significant client responsibility, leadership of complex matters and active involvement in the continued growth and development of the practice. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the leadership of client relationships, supervise and mentor junior lawyers, support business development initiatives and further strengthen the firm’s profile within the cyber and data risk market.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading and managing complex cyber incident response matters across the Readiness, Respond and Recover phases.
• Acting as a senior adviser to corporate clients, insurers and insureds on cyber risk, data breaches and regulatory obligations.
• Coordinating multi-jurisdictional cyber incidents alongside the firm’s global cyber team and external experts.
• Managing cyber security incidents including leading crisis management team calls, engaging with threat actors, instructing forensic providers, advising on notification obligations and overseeing communications strategies.
• Advising on regulatory investigations and enforcement actions involving bodies such as the ICO, FCA, SRA and international regulators.
• Leading litigation and disputes arising from cyber incidents, including group litigation, representative actions, technology disputes and regulatory challenges.
• Advising on the extra-territorial application of GDPR and other international data protection regimes.
• Supporting the strategic growth of the cyber practice through client development, networking, profile-raising and thought leadership initiatives.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with clients, insurers, brokers, vendors and other key market participants.
• Supervising, mentoring and developing junior lawyers within the team.
• Supporting partners on strategic initiatives and contributing to the wider leadership of the practice.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Significant experience advising on cyber incident response, data breaches and cyber-related disputes.
• Strong litigation and disputes background, ideally with experience in technology, media, regulatory or data protection matters.
• Demonstrable experience managing complex, high-value and multi-jurisdictional matters.
• Strong client relationship and stakeholder management skills with a commercial and solutions-focused approach.
• Proven ability to lead teams and supervise junior lawyers effectively.
• A strong interest in cyber risk, technology and emerging data issues.
• Experience engaging with regulators and coordinating external advisers in high-pressure environments.
• A track record of contributing to business development, client growth and market profile initiatives.
• Excellent technical legal skills, strategic judgement and organisational capability.
• Ideally 8+ PQE, although candidates with equivalent experience will also be considered.

The Firm

When you work at Clyde & Co, you join a team of 500 partners, 2,400 lawyers, 3,200 legal professionals and 5,500 people in nearly 70 offices and associated offices worldwide. Our values are the principles that guide the decisions we make, unite us in our endeavours and strengthen our delivery, for both our clients and our firm. We work as one, excel with clients, celebrate difference and act boldly. We are committed to operating in a responsible way by progressing towards a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities and clients it serves. We are devoted to providing an environment in which everyone can realise their potential, using its legal and professional skills to support its communities. We do this through pro bono work, volunteering and charitable partnerships, and minimising the impact it has on the environment, including through our commitment to the SBTi Net-Zero standard and the setting of ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Our Commitment

Clyde & Co is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. Our values encourage us to support fairness, celebrate diversity and prohibit all forms of discrimination in the workplace to allow everyone to excel at work. Therefore, we welcome and encourage all applications from suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background or identity.

A Note on Privacy

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If you are submitting a candidate as a Recruitment Agency Partner, it is an essential requirement and your responsibility to ensure that candidates applying to Clyde & Co are aware of this privacy notice.

This is the job description as constituted at present; however, Clyde & Co reserves the right to reasonably amend it in accordance with the changing needs of the business.