So we’re nearly half way through the year, and already people are talking about what’s been good, and what’s been not so good.

I’m British – so I’ll start with the weather.  It’s been cold and wet and had far too much snow.  We’ve had one week of sunshine which made everyone complain that it was too hot, and then straight back to winter.

I’m a parent, so my next gripe is teenage children going through exams.  I can hear kindred spirits shivering at the mere mention of revision.  I’m sure it’s much harder being a parent trying to persuade your children to study than it was to be a student preparing for exams.

But what’s really set this year apart from all other years for me is the amount of interest everyone has taken in my profession, but sadly not for the right reasons.  It feels like GDPR has taken over my office, with more queries on this one (relatively small) piece of legislation than anything else I’ve done in the last ten years.  Whilst it’s great to see everyone taking their responsibilities so seriously, I do feel that there are a lot of scare mongers out there.

I’ve had clients tell me that they’ve been told that the new regulations mean it’s the law to now have email encryption (they were told this by someone who sold….yes, you guessed it, email encryption!)  I’ve had clients tell me that the rules now say that everything must be computerised (scarily, having your secret personal data in a locked fire proof cabinet is probably safer than having it on a lap top that can be stolen and/or hacked!) and I regularly see the colour drain out of peoples’ faces when they are told what the maximum fines are for transgressions.  No matter how much I emphasise the fact that this is a “maximum” figure and that it’s discretionary, people always panic.

So while for some this has been an Annus Horribilis worse than anything the Queen ever experienced, the good news is that GDPR has given me many opportunities to do what I love doing most, talking.  What’s more, the lovely Laurel Alper of Laurel Leaf Networking has given me another chance to share my knowledge, answer questions and hopefully reassure people that it’s not nearly as scary as it looks.

The talk is going to be live on Facebook (which is a first for me!) next Wednesday 9th at 6pm.  I’ll be talking (try stopping me!), and you can message in and ask me questions.  If you fancy tuning in, even just to see if someone asks me a question that I can’t answer, here are the details.  www.facebook.com/groups/laurelleafnetworking.

If you can’t join us on Wednesday, you can always email me your questions, or you can come along to one of Laurel’s great events and ask me in person. Their next networking event is on Thursday 24th May at the Hendon Hall Hotel and, no doubt, I’ll still be answering questions. If you’d like to ask me your questions, book a ticket here https://laurelleafnetworking.com/events/#!event/2018/5/24/laurel-leaf-may-networking-event.

Kleyman & Co Solicitors.  The full service law firm.  More enjoyable than tripping over the corgis!