IBA ARF Releases Comprehensive Guide To Safeguarding Personal Data For Lawyers

The African Regional Forum of the International Bar Association
(IBA ARF), has released a comprehensive guide on data protection
and privacy laws for legal practitioners on the African
continent.

The IBA ARF Data Protection/Privacy Guide for Lawyers in Africa,
has been developed in the context of a newly implemented European
Union data protection law, which sets out stringent rules for the
collection and processing of personal information from individuals
who live in the EU.

Titled ‘General Data Protection Regulation’ (GDPR), it has led
to data controllers in Europe calling for their counterparts across
Africa to implement similarly rigorous standards for the data
processed on their behalf. Despite little or no guidance given to
legal practitioners in Africa regarding compliance with these
directives, Africa’s data protection regulators have echoed the
call of their opposite numbers in Europe.

The IBA ARF’s new guide, is to provide vital support for
practitioners navigating the complex and changing world of data
protection law. Comprehensive and practical in design, the guide
will aid Lawyers in advising clients and ensuring compliance by
their practices, with the fast-evolving and increasingly expansive
areas of data protection and privacy laws.

The new guide has drawn on international best practice
guidelines and data laws already adopted in African nations, and
provides advice on how to manage personal data within a law firm,
as well as easy-to-implement sustainable protocols and controls
that adhere to privacy laws. Chapters include:

• Data Protection in Africa;
• Data Protection principles;
• Common Exemptions;
• Individual Rights;
•Data Controller/Data Processor Obligations;
•Regulator Powers; and
•How the GDPR affects your practice

The African Regional Forum of the International Bar Association
(IBA ARF), has released a comprehensive guide on data protection
and privacy laws for legal practitioners on the African
continent.

The IBA ARF Data Protection/Privacy Guide for Lawyers in Africa,
has been developed in the context of a newly implemented European
Union data protection law, which sets out stringent rules for the
collection and processing of personal information from individuals
who live in the EU.

Titled ‘General Data Protection Regulation’ (GDPR), it has led
to data controllers in Europe calling for their counterparts across
Africa to implement similarly rigorous standards for the data
processed on their behalf. Despite little or no guidance given to
legal practitioners in Africa regarding compliance with these
directives, Africa’s data protection regulators have echoed the
call of their opposite numbers in Europe.

The IBA ARF’s new guide, is to provide vital support for
practitioners navigating the complex and changing world of data
protection law. Comprehensive and practical in design, the guide
will aid Lawyers in advising clients and ensuring compliance by
their practices, with the fast-evolving and increasingly expansive
areas of data protection and privacy laws.

The new guide has drawn on international best practice
guidelines and data laws already adopted in African nations, and
provides advice on how to manage personal data within a law firm,
as well as easy-to-implement sustainable protocols and controls
that adhere to privacy laws. Chapters include:

• Data Protection in Africa;
• Data Protection principles;
• Common Exemptions;
• Individual Rights;
•Data Controller/Data Processor Obligations;
•Regulator Powers; and
•How the GDPR affects your practice