Associate

Birketts; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Healthcare with BUPA

Staff Profit Share and Bonus Scheme

Salary sacrifice (Pensions)

Job summary

Birketts seeks an Associate into its Commercial (Data Protection) Team with 3–5 years PQE. You will advise on UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, and related privacy laws, and help clients develop data protection policies and respond to incidents.

You will lead DPIAs, DPAs, and training while supporting cross-border data protection matters for technology-focused clients in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 3–6 years PQE in commercial/data protection
• Strong understanding of UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
• Experience drafting data protection policies and DPIAs
• Ability to manage multiple clients and deadlines
• Excellent communication and commercial awareness

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice on UK/EU data protection regulations across industries
• Develop and implement data protection policies, procedures, and frameworks
• Review and negotiate data processing agreements, data transfer mechanisms, and vendor contracts
• Lead responses to Subject Access Requests, data breaches, and other data incidents
• Deliver privacy impact assessments (PIAs/DPIAs), compliance audits, and risk assessments
• Run training sessions and awareness campaigns on privacy obligations
• Keep abreast of regulatory changes and advise on cross-border matters
• Draft and negotiate legal documents tailored to client needs
• Build trusted client relationships and identify opportunities to add value
• Participate in marketing and networking initiatives

Skills

Data protection

Privacy law

Governance & risk

Client relations

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Job description

Main information

Term type:

Permanent

Department:

Location:

Bristol, Oxford

About us

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 6th best law firm to work at in 2026.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 45% of our partnership.

The team you will join

The team work extensively with technology clients to assist in their growth and development. They have vast experience of restructuring, establishing tax efficient, and robust corporate structures for early stage and developing technology businesses.

The team regularly advise on angel and venture capital funding for both investors and investees and our lawyers assist technology businesses on securing, protecting and exploiting their intellectual property.

The team assist our technology clients grow and exploit their businesses through licensing agreements, manufacturing agreements, research and development projects, joint ventures, cloud computing, e-commerce solutions while ensuring they meet their statutory and regulatory obligations.

The work you will be doing

We are looking to recruit an Associate into the Commercial (Data Protection) Team, with between 3 and 5 years of PQE, who have the drive and commitment to assist Birketts’ in the continued growth and development of our firmwide corporate practice and to become an essential member of the Commercial team.

As a Data Protection Solicitor, you will advise clients on UKGDPR, Data Protection Act2018, and related privacy and electronics communications laws. You’ll support businesses in developing data protection policies, managing compliance efforts, responding to data incidents, and conducting training—working within a commercially-driven and fast-paced environment.

This is an excellent opportunity for motivated and ambitious individuals to join a successful and friendly Corporate Team, in a growing firm which enjoys an excellent reputation, and with excellent career progression opportunities.

You will be responsible for:

• Provide expert legal advice on UK/EU data protection regulations across a variety of industries.
• Develop and implement data protection policies, procedures, and frameworks aligned with GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
• Review and negotiate data processing agreements, data transfer mechanisms, and vendor contracts.
• Lead responses to Subject Access Requests, data breaches, and other data incidents, ensuring prompt reporting and remediation.
• Deliver privacy impact assessments (PIAs/DPIAs), compliance audits, and risk assessments.
• Run training sessions and awareness campaigns to educate client teams on privacy obligations.
• Keep abreast of legislative and regulatory changes, advising on emerging trends and best practices.
• Support cross-border and international data protection matters, including EU, Middle East, and global projects where relevant.
• Drafting and negotiating on relevant legal documents and correspondence tailored to the client’s individual needs and requirements
• Acting as a key point of contact for clients, building trusted relationships, and identifying opportunities to add value
• Participating in marketing and networking initiatives
• Ownership of personal financial performance, demonstrating accountability and a commercial mindset

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

What we are looking for

Birketts has designed a ’Talent Management Framework’ which provides a career structure that will help us develop, retain and reward talented people. As an Associate, we typically expect candidates to have between 3-6 years PQE.

• Applies strong legal and commercial judgement, researches precedents effectively, and drafts complex documents with appropriate senior guidance
• Manages time recording, billing support and workload efficiently to meet financial targets and maximise fee recovery
• Actively supports business development through events, pitches and networking, building profile and identifying opportunities via firm and client relationships
• Delivers high-quality client service with minimal supervision, providing timely, accurate advice and demonstrating strong understanding of client needs and priorities
• Consistently meets compliance requirements by completing reviews and reports on time, adhering to risk management best practices, understanding Lexcel standards, and completing all mandatory training
• Strong attention to detail to produce work documentation which is consistently of a high standard
• Professional integrity and a commitment to providing excellent client service
• Experience of using knowhow sources (such as Practical Law, FromCounsel etc) to carry out discrete research projects
• To be competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, time recording software, case management, Outlook and digital dictation
• Professional certifications (e.g., IAPP CIPP/E) are desirable, though not mandatory.

Any information provided in relation to PQE should be used for guidance only and will not be determinative in the recruitment decision. Applicants will be considered on their individual merits.

Hybrid Working

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. This role attracts a split of 60% office days and 40% working from home days per week.

We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.

If you require this advert in an accessible format, please visithttps://diversityjobsgroup.com/company/birketts/

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Artificial Intelligence (AI)

At Birketts, we recognise the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal profession and recruitment. We welcome innovation and understand that candidates may use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we expect all applicants to use AI responsibly and ethically.

Our expectations regarding AI use in applications:

• Your application should reflect your own voice, experiences, and insights. AI may assist in structuring or refining your responses, but it must not replace your personal input.
• Do not use AI to misrepresent your qualifications, experiences, or skills. Any form of exaggeration or fabrication may result in rejection from the process.
• If you have used AI tools to assist with your application, be prepared to discuss how and why you used them during the interview process.
• Do not submit content generated by AI tools that may include personal or sensitive data not intended for public disclosure.
• AI-generated content should be reviewed and edited by you to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the role and our firm’s values.

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment practices. The use of AI should enhance, not compromise your application. We encourage candidates to demonstrate critical thinking, commercial awareness, and a genuine interest in our firm.

If you have any questions about our expectations or the use of AI in your application, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team [e-mail]