Laura Irvine

As Head of the Regulatory Team at Davidson Chalmers Stewart and a Criminal Solicitor Advocate, I represent corporate clients and individuals who find themselves in trouble with the Regulators: whether the police, HSE, SEPA, ICO, Care Inspectorate or any of the other Government agencies who are increasingly involved in the regulation of all that we do in the work place.

As a former procurator fiscal depute with COPFS, with 20 years of working throughout the court of Scotland, I know my way around the criminal justice system and provide my clients with invaluable insight into what to expect from regulators and the Crown.

I am also passionate about data protection, privacy and information law and I was part of the only legal team in the UK to have successfully overturned a data breach fine imposed under the Data Protection Act 1998 – see Scottish Borders Council v the Information Commissioner.

I provide my clients with contentious and non-contentious data protection advice having spent 2017 and 2018 advising clients across all sectors on how to implement the changes that the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 brought in. I wrote the GDPR Guide for the Law Society of Scotland and worked on an immersive GDPR training app with Droman Solutions and the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC).

I also advise on cyber security law, working collaboratively with many of the cyber security firms in Scotland.

I am a director of the SBRC and a co-founder of Protectors of Data Scotland, a MeetUp group of ‘data protection geeks’ with over 200 members.

My practical experience covers a broad range of sectors including health and social care and I have particular experience of dealing with health and safety matters and the Care Inspectorate. I am the lead Partner in supporting our relationship with Scottish Care in which we provide legal advice to care home members across Scotland as part of the Legal Resources Select group.

What others say

Chambers and Partners – UK Guide to the Legal Profession:

Laura Irvine is “…a highly capable practitioner with considerable expertise in handling health and safety investigations and prosecutions, along with other regulatory proceedings” with one client commenting: “She’s sensational, excellent with people and in terms of her subject matter knowledge.”

Laura Irvine is a popular choice for clients needing guidance on data-related regulatory investigations. She advises a range of entities on navigating GDPR, as well as advising on cybersecurity.

“She makes a very confusing subject interesting and accessible.”

“She is excellent, knowledgeable and gives clear advice.”

“She provides advice that is not only accurate but also practical.”