Drawing on the firm’s international presence, the data protection team at DWF handles multijurisdictional mandates in both the private and public sectors, with standout expertise in regulatory investigations and enforcement. The practice is jointly headed by Stewart Room, who leverages long-standing rapport with the ICO, and James Drury-Smith, overseeing compliance matters. Tughan Thuraisingam is also a key member, noted for his skills in developing data protection programmes for financial services operators.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- The team is outstanding. Stewart Room is a leading expert and a thought leader as well as an excellent practitioner. He is well supported by James Drury-Smith and Jamie Taylor. The level of commitment to a project and partner engagement is second to none: I have not seen anything to match it in this area of practice.
- What really makes the individuals I’ve worked with stand out is not just their individual strengths, but how well they operate together. Stewart Room, James Drury-Smith, and Jamie Taylor function as a genuinely cohesive unit — there’s a clear sense that they trust each other’s judgment and draw on each other’s strengths in a way that materially improves the quality of the advice. Stewart brings a highly strategic, forward-looking perspective and sets the overall direction, particularly when it comes to anticipating litigation risk and shaping the bigger picture. James complements that with an exceptional grip on both the detail and how matters are likely to evolve in practice — he is constantly translating strategy into actionable next steps. Jamie plays a key role in underpinning all of this with rigorous analysis, strong execution, and a level of reliability that keeps everything moving at pace. What stands out is how seamlessly this all comes together. There’s no sense of siloed working — they are clearly aligned, regularly sense-checking positions with each other, and combining strategic insight with practical experience in a very fluid way. You benefit not just from three capable individuals, but from a team that is collectively sharper because of how closely they collaborate.
- Excellent knowledge, market leading.
- What distinguishes the DWF team is their ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical governance solutions. Stewart Room, Tughan Thuraisingam, and Maria Derc deserve a special mention. Responsive, technically excellent, and solutions-oriented throughout.
- The DWF team combines outstanding technical data privacy expertise with a pragmatic and commercial approach. Their knowledge of AI governance, the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and emerging regulatory developments was particularly impressive.
- Stewart Room is commercial and clearly knows his stuff - he bridges the gap between commercial solicitor and adversarial 'barrister' very well.
Key clients
- Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
- Tesco Mobile
- Visa Europe
- Bolt
- British Airways
- PepsiCo
- BT
- SodaStream
- easyJet
- Lucozade Ribena Suntory
- Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited
- David Lloyd
Work highlights
Providing advice to and representing the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in relation to a number of regulatory enforcement cases.
Advising a UK retailer on the design and implementation of a governance framework for the proportionate use of facial recognition technology (FRT) for crime‑prevention purposes.
Carried out a detailed review of a client’s end-to-end data breach notification process, including governance pathways, escalation routes, policy frameworks, risk assessment methodology and breach logging practices.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Stewart Room; James Drury-Smith
Other key lawyers
Tughan Thuraisingam