Advanced European Data Protection Law

This 8-hour executive online course provides participants with an advanced and practice-focused insights into recent developments in EU data protection law. It focuses on key case law, enforcement trends and emerging regulatory challenges shaping the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).


Programme type	Part-time executive course
Location	This is an online course, delivered live over 4 consecutive weekly sessions
Start Date	Future dates to be announced
Duration	8 hours
Fee	£1,000
Course convenor	Dr Damian Clifford, LSE Law School

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Overview

The Advanced European Data Protection Law executive short course offers a structured and in-depth examination of judiciary and regulatory developments in EU data protection law since the entry into force of the GDPR. The course is designed for professionals who already work in the area of data protection law and who require an advanced insight into evolving trends in the case law, enforcement practices, and regulatory guidance.

Participants develop a practical framework to analyse core concepts, principles and obligations under the GDPR, with particular attention to compliance challenges, enforcement mechanisms and emerging issues at the intersection of data protection and other areas of EU digital regulation. Through case law analysis, hypothetical scenarios, interactive discussion, and case law analysis, the course enables participants to hone their legal, decision-making, and strategic risk assessment skills.

The course is delivered online by Dr Damian Clifford over four interactive seminar-style sessions. The seminars provide ample room for discussion and for the analysis of practical case studies.

Aims

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

Identify and apply key provisions of the EU data protection framework in light of recent case law
Analyse contested concepts and principles under the GDPR and assess their implications for compliance
Evaluate recent enforcement actions and judicial decisions and their impact on professional practice
Provide informed, strategic advice on data protection compliance and risk management
Assess emerging trends and interactions between data protection law and other areas of EU digital regulation

Target audience

Legal practitioners advising on EU data protection law
Data protection professionals, including Data Protection Officers
Policymakers and regulators working in digital regulation
In-house counsel at technology and data-driven organisations

Course content

Topics

Key definitions and actors under the GDPR, including controllers and processors
Conditions for lawful processing and core data protection principles
Data subject rights and enforcement mechanisms
Public and private enforcement of data protection law
Automated decision-making, AI systems and compliance challenges
Emerging issues and interactions with other EU digital frameworks, including the AI Act and Digital Services Act

Teaching materials

Annotated slides
Case law summaries
Pre-course readings
Session recordings and supporting materials provided after registration

Academic staff

Course convenor

Dr Damian Clifford is an Assistant Professor researching and teaching in data protection and privacy and the regulation of technology. Prior to joining the LSE in September 2025, Damian was a senior lecturer (2021-2025) and postdoctoral research fellow (2020) at the Australian National University. He has published three books: Data and Private Law (edited with Jeannie Marie Paterson and Kwan Ho Lau and published by Hart in 2023), Data Protection Law and Emotion (published by Oxford University Press in 2024), and Data Rights in Transition (co-authored with Rachelle Bosua, Jing Qian and Megan Richardson and published by Cambridge University Press in 2025). Damian is also one of the core editors of the Cambridge University Press Elements series, Data Rights and Wrongs. He completed his PhD at the KU Leuven Faculty of Law (Belgium) where he was a FWO Aspirant Fellow funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek–Vlaanderen (FWO) from October 2015 to October 2019.

Professional services staff

Course manager

Amanda Tinnams is the Short Course Manager at LSE Law School, bringing over two decades of experience managing short course programs. Amanda has successfully overseen courses offered on-campus, online and internationally. She is committed to creating impactful learning experiences that combine academic excellence with practical application, supporting professionals and organisations worldwide.

Course schedule and FAQs

Course schedule

Day 1: Key definitions and actors

Recent Court of Justice case law on personal data
Pseudonymisation and allocation of responsibility between controllers and processors.

Day 2: Conditions and principles of lawful processing

Analysis of the GDPR’s core principles and legal bases for processing, focusing on highly litigated and contested areas.

Day 3: Data subject rights and enforcement

Operation of key rights, public and private enforcement mechanisms
Challenges raised by automated decision-making and AI systems.

Day 4: Compliance challenges and emerging issues

Current compliance challenges and future trends, including overlaps with other areas of EU digital regulation and policy.

To secure your place on the course, full payment is required once registration is submitted and before the course starts. Please complete payment promptly to secure your place.
Cancellations requested less than four weeks before the commencement of the course incur the following penalties: two to four weeks 50% of the course fee, less than two weeks 100% of the course fee.
If written notification is not received and you do not attend, the full course fee will be retained as a cancellation charge.