The Law Society of Scotland has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ICO which will allow it to act as a gateway to the ICO’s specialist innovation hub in Cheshire, which is working in partnership with technology innovators on ‘Data Protection by design’. The project aims to help companies engineer GDPR compliance from the outset and provides bespoke guidance from the ICO on the individual service or product.

As part of the project, the ICO is working with regulators and professional bodies to support their innovative projects by bringing in a data protection by design approach.

The MoU sets out the broad principles of collaboration and the legal framework governing the sharing of relevant information and intelligence between the Information Commissioner and the Law Society. Its shared aims are to enable closer working, including the exchange of appropriate information, to assist both organisations in their regulatory functions.

Paul Mosson, Law Society of Scotland executive director of member services and engagement, said: “This is a very positive step for us. The shared aims of the MoU will enable closer working between the Law Society, our members and the ICO, allowing us to take a more collaborative approach and exchange information to support our growing legal tech community.

“We will be able to introduce firms to the ICO team who can support the development of tech solutions that have built in GDPR compliance which will offer security for businesses and individuals everywhere. To enable this they need the cooperation of regulators and professional bodies and we were delighted to get on board with this project.”

Lynne Currie, head of privacy innovation at the ICO, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to support technology innovation in the legal sector, ensuring that data protection is built into projects from the outset. We’ve long championed that privacy and innovation can and should sit side by side. We’re pleased that the Law Society of Scotland shares our commitment and look forward to our ongoing work.”