As the CEE Legal Matters team prepares for the upcoming Hungary General Counsel Summit, we sat down with Daniel Gera of Schoenherr to learn about the panel discussion he will be leading titled "Preparing for the General Data Protection Regulation - Challenge or Opportunity."
CEELM: What was it about the Hungary GC Summit concept that first caught your attention and why did Schoenherr decide to get involved in the conference?
D.G.: Schoenherr was one of the main sponsors of 2015 GC Summit in Budapest, so the concept was not entirely new for us. The event was a huge success back then and based on our clients' feedback we were always of the view that a summit organized specifically for Hungarian GCs would be just as useful. Therefore it was quite natural for us to support this event as sponsors and we are looking forward to this useful program with great anticipation.
CEELM: You will be leading a panel discussion on the challenges of EU privacy laws. Why do you believe this to be an important topic to put forward to GCs/Heads of Legal?
D.G.: With the GDPR's entry into force approaching, data protection and privacy have obviously become hot topics for all enterprises. As attorneys, we receive inquiries about GDPR compliance day in, day out. Schoenherr has a dedicated team for data protection and compliance matters that can advise clients on the subject in all CEE jurisdictions. With this in mind, we believe that the Summit provides an excellent opportunity for GCs to share their experiences in this field, which will allow them to tackle these challenges more effectively.
CEELM: Without giving too much away, what can participants expect to hear from the panel on this topic?
D.G.: We would like to enable the panelists to share their experiences about preparing for the GDPR as an ongoing project. We would like to discuss their best practices, and the roles of the general counsel(s) and external advisors (legal, IT) in this process. Our goal is for members of the audience to take away some useful information about how they should handle the project at their companies.
CEELM: Looking at the event agenda, what topics are you excited to hear about the most?
D.G.: Besides the panel discussion that we will moderate, we think that the aspects of the GCs and legal teams' role in a corporate environment (i.e. the legal function as a business unit) and the sourcing of legal services are particularly exciting topics.
CEELM: If you had to pick one, what aspect of the conference are you most looking forward to?
D.G.: We look forward to interesting discussions in the above topics, and the opportunity to meet colleagues and network in this fascinating environment.
