CJCH Consulting is a progressive and innovative company with Head offices the capital of Wales, Cardiff. An evolution from, and partner with, CJCH Solicitors, CJCH Consulting came to be in July 2017 after many successful years combating intellectual property (IP) crime and more recently being awarded a government grant from the Welsh Assembly to expand the digital IP protection and enforcement work already being delivered. Throughout 2017, CJCH Consulting closed major deals to represent major software companies, and on behalf of these clients brought legal cases against infringers on their intellectual property and commercial software.

CJCH Consulting has been in the headlines of Welsh and UK newspapers numerous times, perhaps most notably after recovering £20,000,000 for their clients through our Anti-Piracy and Compliance work. Given the efficient number of team members assigned to each case, the relative revenue generated is quite an achievement. Stephen Clarke is the CEO of the company, and one of those responsible for the firm’s exponential growth in the past year. I spoke to him about where the company began, where the company was heading, and how the company continued to stay ahead of the curve.

I first asked Stephen about the decisions behind making CJCH Consulting separate to CJCH Solicitors. The answer is relatively simple: Identity.

CJCH Consulting was conducting business as global company with international clients, whereas CJCH Solicitors was dedicated to being a local South Wales Law Firm with a commitment to their local clientele. The company did not want to put off loyal customers on the legal side of the business by losing their personable identity and becoming less approachable, but equally wanted to be seen as being able to compete in a global market. According to Stephen Clarke, CJCH Consulting is a physical representation of “the breadth of work we are doing and the services we have developed and can offer moving forward”; a service that very few companies can provide.

Stephen envisioned and nurtured the consultancy service and the Anti-Piracy and Compliance speciality which is one of the main driving forces behind the recent company’s growth. When asked about the future of the company and where it was headed, he stated that the company was looking to expand its client base by at least 50% in the next year. In addition, after consolidating the growth and success of past year, CJCH Consulting has hired a specialist contractor as a subject matter expert to “actively engage new clients and help pair their needs with bespoke solutions”. Historically, the company has always been approached by potential clients, and its reputation spread by word of mouth. The firm wants to continue to leverage on that positive reputation to continue to grow, evolve and dynamically adapt to the ever-changing needs of the market in the cyber and intellectual property industry.

Stephen was quoted as saying that “moving forwards, all businesses, not just in our field of work, are becoming more dependent on technology. In the industry we work in, technology is bound to be of assistance in the future and we see that it needs to be integrated with our personnel rather than replacing them.” The opportunity for the firm, then, is continuing to keep up with the times for the good of our clients, present and future, and the greater community without losing the service and personnel that make CJCH Consulting a valuable business partner.

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Business across Europe and indeed the rest of the world are preparing for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in readiness for its implementation on 25^th May 2018. It is safe to say that it is producing a feeling of unease for businesses, as many organisations have not been run with data protection as a primary consideration. A survey (of 1000 people reflective of the British Population) based on 2016 Annual Track by the Information Commissioner’s Office found that 79% of people did not trust businesses with their personal information.

Considering these figures, the GDPR is a positive evolution for data protection. The progression focus for companies should be to emphasise data protection from the outset and throughout their processes, learning to enhance their understanding and respect for individuals’ data protection rights. These enhanced rights under the GDPR challenge whether companies are aware of precisely what information has been captured, where it is stored, who it has been shared with and most importantly… can the entirety of this data be safely recalled and accounted for.

The proposed sanctions for non-compliance are high, with maximum fines being 4% of turnover or 20 million Euros, however, the ICO is only likely to issue these fines (proportionally) in certain scenarios. Overall it can be considered to be a positive development if they are encouraging more organisations to consider data protection as part of their DNA. Companies must accept that potential data security breaches are an inevitability, they should focus on data minimisation and have a structure in place to deal with them, rather than assuming the company is immune to those risks.

The United Kingdom is in a seemingly more precarious position than the rest of Europe; with Brexit looming and the difficulties in predicting how the GDPR will be applied once it is in force. The UK has the largest internet economy as a percentage of GDP out of all the G20 countries, so it must prioritise how it can keep European data safe, and encourage the EU to consider it a safe place for data transfers. The UK has recognised this by beginning to draft a new Data Protection Bill which mirrors the GDPR to a large extent. Its relevant authority, the ICO, is taking steps to get us up to speed with the legislation; providing information, blogs, webinars and tools to facilitate this. The National Cyber Security Centre is also publishing regular blogs and guidance, making it a relevant and viable resource for businesses; aiming to make the UK the safest place to live and do business online.
I would direct your attention to the following as a starting point:

An introduction and the twelve steps for preparing for the GDPR: https://ico.org.uk/media/1624219/preparing-for-the-gdpr-12-steps.pdf

A series of blogs from the ICO dealing with any myths surrounding the GDPR: https://iconewsblog.org.uk/tag/gdprmyths/

A Data protection self-assessment toolkit which allows businesses to analyse different areas and highlight what they are and aren’t doing well:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/resources-and-support/data-protection-self-assessment-toolkit/

The NCSC guide for Cyber Security for small business (SMEs): https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blog-post/cyber-security-small-business-guide

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