1. What Was the Situation?
The client, operating in the technology sector, was experiencing a knowledge and skills gap in relation to GDPR compliance and data protection. They required external expertise to address both complex data protection issues and ongoing business-as-usual (BAU) activities. However, they wanted a solution that provided the level of expertise typically offered by leading data protection practices without incurring high hourly fees. The legal and compliance teams were responsible for managing this, but their workload and expertise limitations posed a risk of non-compliance with GDPR, threatening potential fines and reputational damage.
2. How Did We Help the Client?
To meet the client’s needs, we assembled a mixed team of data protection experts from Poland and the UK. This approach allowed us to provide high-quality advice at a more affordable pre-agreed day rate from Poland. Senior team members from the UK focused on addressing complex, business-critical issues, while our Polish team managed BAU tasks, such as conducting interviews with the client’s business teams, gathering necessary information and undertaking drafting of policies and assessment documents.
Our work included:
- Developing complex privacy notices tailored to the client’s operations.
- Addressing issues with the collection and processing of sensitive and special category data.
- Supporting the client’s marketing team in initiatives aimed at expanding their marketable database, while ensuring compliance with data protection and e-privacy regulations.
By embedding our team as the client’s in-house data protection function, we handled queries directly from business teams, reducing the workload on the client’s legal department. The client also had the option to adjust our level of involvement as needed, giving them full control over costs and delivery.
3. How Did They Benefit?
The client realised significant cost savings by utilising our Polish team for most of the BAU tasks, while reserving senior UK-based expertise for high-priority, complex matters. This flexible model allowed them to control costs while maintaining access to expert advice. They also saved time by redirecting data protection queries to our team, which freed up their internal legal department for other strategic work.
Over time, strong working relationships were built, and the client’s internal teams were upskilled, gaining the ability to handle certain data protection issues independently. We have since transitioned to a strategy/consultancy model, working with the client to develop an operating framework that allows junior team members to upskill quickly and take on more responsibilities, reducing the need for senior oversight from Poland or the UK.
