Lion Dirkers has been working as an attorney at law at Osborne Clarke since 2022, advising national and international clients on German and European IT law with a focus on data protection law.

Lion supports start-ups, medium-sized companies and global corporations in the legally compliant handling of personal data and represents companies in administrative and court proceedings with a focus on data protection. In addition to the classic legal sources of data protection, Lion also takes into account industry-specific regulations and other European digital regulations.

In the context of data-driven business models, Lion assesses i.a. the roles of the parties involved, available legal basis for the processing of (special categories of) personal data and identifies options for creating a legally compliant solution. In addition, Lion assists in the preparation of common compliance documents, such as consent forms, legitimate interest assessments, data protection agreements, privacy policies, retention schedules and data protection impact assessments.

Typical questions in companies regarding data protection compliance, on which Lion regularly advises, include:

• the anonymisation of personal data and the training of AI systems;
• stationary and mobile video surveillance;
• the use of software for processing employee and customer data;
• data access requests from customers and employees;
• third country transfers of personal data;
• the processing of customer and employee data in automated decision-making systems (e.g. in the context of recruiting, CRM software and payment default risk assessments in e-commerce);
• the evaluation of personal employee data in the context of internal compliance investigations;
• data protection due diligence in the context of company acquisitions;
• the implementation of appropriate technical and organisational measures to comply with data protection principles;
• the use of tracking technologies in apps and on websites and
• the processing of customer data for direct marketing purposes.

Another focus of Lion's work is representing clients before data protection authorities in investigation and fine proceedings and, if necessary, subsequent litigation before the courts. In particular, in the event of data breaches within the meaning of Art. 4 No. 12 GDPR, Lion provides comprehensive support to clients, from advice on reporting obligations and further communication with authorities and affected data subjects to defence against administrative sanctions and/or civil law claims for damages and injunctive relief in individual cases and mass proceedings.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of data protection law, Lion works for clients from all industries. However, Lion primarily represents clients from the technology and telecommunications, social media, finance and insurance, health, logistics and retail sectors. Lion has also gained a particular understanding of internal company processes and the practical needs of clients through secondments to an international social media company.

Lion studied law at Humboldt University and passed his first state law examination in Berlin. After completing a Master 1 in private international law at the Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris 2) and a Master of Laws in European law at King's College London, Lion completed his legal clerkship and the second state law examination at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg. During his legal clerkship, he worked in the e-privacy department of the Hamburg data protection authority and for the German judge at the European Court of Justice.