Emily Freida

Emily is a partner within the Public Law team specialising in information law, inquests, inquiries and internal investigations. Her background in criminal and regulatory proceedings, both defending and prosecuting, equips her to fully support clients involved in complex investigative processes. She is described as “precisely the kind of solicitor a client wants when the going gets tough” (Legal 500 UK 2021).

Information law

Emily advises corporates, regulatory bodies, charities and individuals upon the application of data protection law to their specific circumstances, especially concerning matters of sensitivity or dispute. This includes:

• investigation, enforcement and appeal proceedings by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), including with respect to breach of Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR)
• data protection compliance for organisations, including those based abroad subject to the UK GDPR jurisdiction
• guiding organisations processing sensitive data within investigations, inquiries and litigation including with respect to disclosure, confidentiality and privilege.
• individual data rights, including data subject access requests (DSAR), rectification and deletion of personal data
• tribunal proceedings involving information rights

Emily has a particular interest in the application of data protection law to children’s data. She also advises those making and receiving applications for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Inquiries, inquests and independent investigations  

Emily has represented individuals and organisations in a number of large scale, high profile inquiries including the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, the Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry, the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry and the Baha Mousa Inquiry. She advised individual witnesses within the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) independent investigation into the failure of HBOS, the Connaught Review and the Davis Inquiry.

She supports her clients through the inquisitorial process including the management of significant quantities of evidence, advising upon data protection compliance and the protection of legal professional privilege, and responding to criticisms within the final report.

Her extensive experience of the coroners’ courts enables Emily to guide families and organisations through inquest proceedings.

Internal investigations

Emily is a member of the firm’s internal investigations team with experience conducting sensitive internal investigations on behalf of corporates as well as representing individual witnesses. Her experience respect to sexual misconduct in the workplace, intellectual property theft, corruption and LIBOR-fixing.

Criminal, regulatory and professional discipline proceedings

Emily has acted on behalf of a range of regulatory bodies including the Financial Reporting Council, the Security Industry Authority and the Health and Care Professions Council. She has represented senior police officers of the Chief Police Officer’s Staff Association in connection with disciplinary and criminal investigations, including those conducted by Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Emily has represented clients at every stage of the criminal process from investigation to appeal and confiscation.

Emily qualified as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand in 1999 having studied law and criminology at Victoria University of Wellington. She qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2003.

Examples of recent cases