Claire Archibald

Claire Archibald, a Legal Director in our education team, specialises in data protection, freedom of information and AI governance. Having worked within a school and led a Local Authority DPO service for schools, Claire understands the sector's unique challenges and goals. Clients value Claire's blend of legal knowledge, project management experience, mediation and counselling skills, alongside her pragmatic, personable, and engaging approach.

Claire delivers support across three core tiers:

• Legal support: Expert and robust advice on all data law challenges, including handling Subject Access Requests (SARs), Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, managing data breaches, cyber-attacks, complaints, conducting DPIAs, information sharing, EdTech/AI risk assessment, records retention, and overall compliance.
• Developing culture: Collaborating with clients to build a proactive data and AI governance programme. Utilising audits and our Empower DPO service, she helps clients anticipate risks, embed lessons learned from past experiences, and develop a culture of continuous improvement.
• Innovation: Strategic advice for ambitious organisations focused on leveraging their data assets. She helps align data project ambitions with robust compliance frameworks, enabling institutions to responsibly unlock the power of data and drive innovation, with a particular focus on AI innovation.

A recognised authority in education data protection and records management (co-authoring the IRMS Toolkit for Schools), Claire's expertise is acknowledged by industry awards like the Picasso Europe Data Protection Champion, alongside specialist qualifications including the IAPP CPIM and AI Governance certifications.