Job Description

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• We are seeking a senior-level data, digital and commercial law specialist to support and grow our nationally recognised Data and Digital team, with a focus on complex, multi-jurisdictional advisory and contract work and incident response.
• This is a strategic hire to help meet increasing client demand across our core sectors - retail, tech, sports, healthcare, and financial services - and to enhance our capabilities across non-contentious matters.
• We are particularly interested in individuals with at least 5 years' PQE+, who are looking to step into a Managing Associate or Legal Director level role.
• This is a high performing, cohesive and busy team with excellent prospects for career development, and secondments, if you want them.

THE TEAM
Our Commercial team is a national group, with teams across each AG office working together on national and cross border transactions.
The Scottish team have an enviable client base and consists of three partners (Helena Brown - Head of Data, Ross McKenzie and Ross Nicol), fee earners, trainees and embedded paralegals who are involved in a range of work types including Data, Digital and Commercial advisory, Intellectual Property protection and exploitation, freedom of information, IT outsourcing, business process outsourcing, facilities management outsourcing, logistics, SaaS, cloud arrangements and commercial contracts.
You will be based in the Edinburgh office for this role. The wider Data team are based across all of our UK offices. We operate a flexible, hybrid working system comprising a blend of working in the office and working from home, and we expect that that this will continue for the foreseeable future.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS ROLE
You will be handling a spread of data, digital and commercial advisory work, including strategic advisory projects, data and information access, incident response, and preparing and negotiating a range of commercial contracts for clients on both the customer and supplier side as well as managing transactions across IT and intellectual property issues.
In this role, you will:

• Lead on complex data, digital and commercial work servicing high-profile clients, including advising on GDPR/UK GDPR compliance, international data transfers, PECR, AI/data ethics, smart data, cyber regulation and regulatory investigations.
• Be a primary contact for key clients, managing relationships, driving delivery, and offering commercial, solution-focused advice.
• Supervise and mentor junior lawyers, helping shape their development while ensuring high-quality, consistent output across the team.
• Deliver and manage large-scale compliance projects and incident response plans, ensuring timely and thorough execution.
• Work cross-functionally with teams including commercial, disputes, employment, and legal tech to provide integrated client support.
• Help shape team strategy by contributing to business development, thought leadership, and client engagement activities

Your impact will include:

• Strengthening AG's reputation as a trusted adviser on complex data, digital and technology issues
• Enhancing delivery capability across the UK and internationally
• Supporting the development and progression of junior talent within the team

YOUR AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE
Essential:

• 5+ years PQE with a strong track record in data, privacy, and information law
• Experience advising on UK GDPR, EU GDPR, and PECR, ideally across multiple sectors
• Experience drafting contractual provisions and providing corporate and commercial transactional support relating to data and digital matters
• A consultative approach with the ability to deliver actionable, commercial advice to senior stakeholders
• Proven experience leading client projects, including risk assessments, DPIAs, international transfers, and audits
• Comfortable managing and mentoring others, with demonstrable experience delegating, reviewing, and coaching junior lawyers
• Ability to build and maintain senior client relationships that lead to repeat business and deeper strategic engagement

Desirable:

• Experience advising on AI and algorithmic governance, digital marketing compliance, or data ethics frameworks
• Exposure to or collaboration with legal tech tools or delivery platforms
• Experience in regulatory engagement or defending clients in enforcement action
• Confident working with cross-border issues and international teams

Our FIRM
Addleshaw Goddard is a place where you are valued, encouraged, and challenged to fulfil your potential in a supportive and collegiate environment. Our culture of improvement, growth and collaboration delivers results, drives innovation, and rewards ambition.
We not only provide technical excellence and experience but, crucially, demonstrate real insight into our clients and what really matters to them and as such we are natural choice for FTSE100 clients and their equivalents in other markets.
Our success has been built by people from the widest range of backgrounds, locations, and perspectives. We have a number of employee networks that provide space to discuss the differences that make us who we are and celebrate this at AG.
OUR APPROACH: IMAGINE THE BEST YOU CAN BE
Everything we've accomplished can be traced back to our people and the way we work. Our reputation is something we are proud of, and constantly invest in.
Here, you'll do high calibre work, with high-character colleagues who care for one another and our clients.
Are you up for the challenge?