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Katherine Pears

Senior Associate

What can I do for you

Katherine is part of the regulatory, public and commercial disputes team. She advises on different education and public law matters, with a particular specialism in data protection and freedom of information, drawing upon her previous experience working in house at a Russell Group university.

Supporting your ambitions

Katherine's experience includes: 

  • Advising on and drafting responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, including the engagement of any relevant legal exemptions.
  • Advising on and drafting responses to internal review requests and responses to the ICO following FOI complaints.
  • Advising on the implementation of the GDPR and conducting internal data protection training at a Russell Group university.
  • Advising and reviewing data subject rights requests, including large and complex subject access requests. Advising on appropriate redactions and any relevant legal exemptions.
  • Advising on complex data protection queries involving sensitive student and staff disciplinary/complaint cases for a Russell group university.
  • Advising and supporting a Russell group university on data breaches and its data breach incident management process. Assessing whether ICO and/or data subject notification was required.
  • Drafting FOI and data protection policies and procedures for a Russell group university, including SOPs, privacy notices and internal processes and training material.

What our clients say about us

  • I think Mills & Reeve are a wonderful firm. The support they have provided to us in a really difficult area has been brilliant, collaborative and commercially minded. The team were absolutely wonderful and a joy to work with. Amazing advice and support and a real collaborative effort with us. I can't thank them enough for getting us through some really tough times and doing so with an amazing can-do attitude.
  • They are friendly, fast, always available and always on top of the game. I tend to judge my legal team against the other side's legal team and never doubt Mills & Reeve is the better of the two.
  • All interactions have been very clear. Responses to questions have always been very swift and unambiguous. Our company, and my family, have used various services in Mills & Reeve with the same level of satisfaction.
  • I value the fact that Mills & Reeve are recognised as a good place to work in the UK Best Companies survey. This aligns with the values of our business and means that Mills & Reeve can share what is required to achieve this status with our business.

As many clients will testify, too many lawyers deliver the required legal expertise but fail to deliver an outstanding client experience. Which is why we always listen to our clients and constantly ask ourselves what we can do to deliver the results you expect.

You expect a close and attentive working relationship, with a lawyer that is responsive and available when you need them. You also want clear, pragmatic and commercial advice tailored to your needs, and transparency and certainty on costs. We completely agree. That’s why every day, through our culture and approach we are committed to delivering the exceptional results and service our clients expect of us.

Related sectors and services

  • Health and care
  • Information, data protection and privacy law
  • Litigation and arbitration
  • Public law
  • Charities and social enterprise
  • Education
  • Technology
  • Charity law
  • Education law

Contact Katherine