BBC barrister makes RPC switch

A senior barrister from the in-house team at the BBC has made the short hop across London to join RPC's media team. 

Nicola Cain has come on board at RPC to become a Legal Director at the firm, and providing additional contentious data protection expertise to RPC's multi-disciplinary Data Protection Group.

As Head of Legal - Freedom of Information and Contentious Data Protection at the BBC, Nicola has over eight years’ experience as a barrister and extensive knowledge of all aspects of media and information law and data protection and regulation.

Whilst at the BBC, Ms Cain provided both pre-publication and litigation advice on a wide range of programmes including ‘Panorama’, ‘Top Gear’ and ‘Have I Got News For You’.

Some of the work she undertook whilst at the BBC included:

• Advising the corporation on the Pollard Review - an independent review relating to a curtailed Newsnight investigation which featured allegations of abuse by Jimmy Saville
• Successfully defending an injunction claim to prevent the broadcast of an edition of Panorama brought by the 'Fake Sheikh' Mazher Mahmood
• Successfully defending a claim for judicial review relating to the expiry of reporting restriction orders made in respect of young defendants in criminal proceedings
• Conduct of the BBC's response to an appeal to the Supreme Court regarding the application of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the BBC
• Preparing the BBC’s response to the ICO's review, as part of the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) Privacy Sweep, of websites and apps used by children
• Advising on the legal and editorial issues and subsequent appeal for the Panorama ‘North Korea undercover’ documentary

Prior to joining the BBC, Nicola trained at the specialist media and entertainment law set of chambers 5RB.

Following the BBC’s successful judicial review of the Secretary of State for Justice’s refusal to permit the BBC to film an interview with a terror detainee, Nicola was The Times’ Lawyer of the Week in 2012.

Keith Mathieson, Partner and Head of RPC’s Media team comments: “Nicola’s appointment will help to further strengthen the media team here at RPC and in particular the Firm's contentious data protection capabilities.”

“Data protection is an increasingly important area for RPC's commercial and insurance client base, and so the vast experience and knowledge that Nicola has gained whilst working in-house at one of the world’s busiest media organisations will be invaluable to our clients.”

Ms. Cain added: “RPC’s Media team has extensive knowledge of the media landscape and the issues that affect it.”

“By moving into private practice, I’ll be able to take what I’ve learned from my time in house and apply it to a wider range of clients and cases.”

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