Phillip Souta is Global Director of Tech Policy within Clifford Chance's Tech Group, a cross disciplinary team of 600+ lawyers globally advising on Tech risk and opportunity.
He focusses on public policy and political risk in tech law and regulation, including AI, cybersecurity, privacy, online child safety, biometrics and IP, and provides strategic advice to clients across a range of sectors. His clients include businesses in the retail, automotive, financial services, private equity and internet sectors, as well as industry bodies and advocacy groups.
He works closely with the Clifford Chance Accelerate programme which brings men and women together in developing female leaders of tomorrow. He was named Risk Advisory Individual of the year in London.
Phillip is a member of the Clifford Chance Political Change team and sits on the firm's Thought Leadership Board. He practices as a barrister qualified in England and Wales.
Political Change
We help businesses to build resilience,
sustain growth and be better prepared
- Advising on emerging global policy issues in data, AI and cybersecurity including a leading automotive OEM and a large global tech business.
- Advising a number of leading global investment banks on the potential impact of Brexit on their business and their strategic response (both before and after the referendum vote).
- Advising financial institutions, corporates, industry bodies and campaigning groups on political campaigning, electoral and referendum law.
- Phillip spend eight months on secondment with large global tech business, working on a range of issues including tech IP, commercial contracts and online platforms.
- Phillip spent six months on secondment to the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), working on the joint FCA/PRA consultation paper and draft rules on improving individual accountability in the banking.
- Advising on the establishment of the Banking Standards Board (BSB), created by Sir Richard Lambert to promote high standards of behaviour and competence across the UK banking industry.
- Phillip has appeared on programmes including BBC Newsnight, the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Sky News and Bloomberg and has commented in publications including the New York Times, the London Times, the Financial Times, the London Evening Standard, le Monde and le Figaro.
News and client work
Contact details
- Clifford Chance, London
- +442070061097
- Email me
- Speaks English and Czech
- Practice area TechDigital
Career and qualifications
- London School of Economics and Political Science (BA, Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method) 2004
Professional bodies
- Member of Chatham House
- Member of the Bar European Group
- Member of the Constitutional & Administrative Law Bar Association
- Sits on the UCL European Institute's Advisory Board