The privacy and cyber practice at Latham & Watkins consists of ‘brilliant people with in-depth expertise and experience in what they do’, led by Gail Crawford. The team boasts a particularly strong track record in the tech, artificial intelligence, media and financial services sectors across multiple jurisdictions. Crawford is well-versed in completing regulatory due diligence, offering commercial transaction support and drafting privacy policies. Ian Felstead forms the bedrock of the firm’s contentious data protection offering and has recently worked with the Information Commissioner’s Office on GDPR infringement issues. Fiona Maclean is recognised for her abilities in crisis management and day-to-day cybersecurity support. James Lloyd and Danielle van der Merwe are two key names who add additional strength to the roster. In February 2025, Sophie Goossens joined the team from Reed Smith LLP.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The team is excellent. It is able to provide a full service within this field of law.'
- 'A responsive and excellent cyber and data practice, all members I've come across are impressive.'
- 'Excellence, efficiency and speed are hallmarks.'
- 'The team is comprised of brilliant people with in-depth expertise and experience in what they do and with different sets of skills.'
- 'The team is an expert on privacy, providing business-oriented solutions with an out-of-the-box state of mind.'
'Very fast and great at responding to complex questions.'
Key clients
- Meta Platforms, Inc. and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited
- AllianceBernstein
- Entrust Corporation
- Skydance Media
- Interactive Brokers Group
- Intuit, Inc.
- Mimecast
- Qualtrics Labs
- Perplexity AI
- SAP SE
- Yum! Brands
Work highlights
Advising Meta as lead counsel in relation to a number of highly complex and multijurisdictional regulatory investigations and inquiries regarding alleged data breaches and compliance with data protection laws generally, and related litigation, as well as AI-related matters.
Advised Entrust Corporation, a financial security company, on range of complex issues involving tech, IP, data protection, and artificial intelligence, in connection with its acquisition of Onfido, a global ID verification business.
Advised Skydance Media, an international media company, and an Investor Group on the IT, data privacy and security, digital assets and IP aspects of their US$8 billion strategic merger with Paramount Global and acquisition of National Amusements, Inc., forming "New Paramount".
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Gail Crawford
Other key lawyers
Ian Felstead; Fiona Maclean; James Lloyd; Danielle Van Der Merwe