Peter Church

Peter is an experienced technology lawyer. He originally studied Computer Science at Cambridge and has 20 years’ experience advising clients on the challenges raised by new technology. 

Clients say he is “really pragmatic and gives really crucial advice when we need it” and is “very good on difficult legal issues” (Chambers 2023). 

Work highlights

• recently completed a secondment to the Information Commissioner’s Office working in the Technology Policy team on Adtech and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• led the high-profile audit into the Royal Free’s use of an App developed by DeepMind, part of the Google group of companies. The audit report is available here. 
• provided testimony in the SDNY Bankruptcy Court on the effect of the GDPR in the chapter 15 case of LBIE (in administration), Case No. 18-11470
• worked with British Telecoms to produce their first law enforcement report, Privacy and Free Expression in UK Communications.
• has advised on data ownership and data protection matters as part of very large corporate transactions. This includes Visa Europe Limited in connection with its €16bn acquisition by Visa Inc. and Novartis as part of its $20bn asset swap with GlaxoSmithKline.

He is the co-author of Linklaters’ AI Toolkit, Linklaters’ Guide to the GDPR, Linklaters’ Cyber Security Handbook and is the editor of Data Protected, a review of data protection laws in 54 jurisdictions around the world.

He is also the author of the PLC practice notes on Good Faith and on Endeavours Clauses and was part of the Financial Markets Law Committee Working Group considering duties of good faith in wholesale financial contracts. 

Peter is an expert in data privacy, ePrivacy and cyber security, speaking at industry panels, as well as leading on many Linklaters’ hosted client facing roundtables and panels. He is frequently quoted in the media and has appeared in interviews on BBC World News and CNN.

Most recently, Peter was on secondment to the Information Commission Office, working in the Technology Policy team on a range of topics including Adtech and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peter studied Computer Science at Trinity Hall, Cambridge (First) and the Legal Practice Course at Nottingham Law School (Distinction).

Peter is author of the chapter on Data Protection & Privacy in Artificial Intelligence: Law and Regulation (2022) published by Edward Elgar

Peter's recent articles include:

• Covid-19 disputes - Good faith to the rescue? PLC Magazine, August 2020
• How do you Regulate an Algorithm? A Set of Strawman Remedies, Utilities Law Review, February 2020
• The GDPR one year on, Privacy Laws & Business, May 2019