Annabel Gillham

Annabel is a partner at Morrison Foerster and co-Managing Partner of the London office. With a background as an employment litigator, Annabel specialises in employee data protection, data crisis management and follow on claims. Described by clients as “excellent, very pragmatic, efficient and completely client-oriented”, she works across a variety of sectors, including technology, retail, gaming tech, hospitality, insurance and financial services.

Annabel supports clients in the design and implementation of their GDPR compliance programmes and leveraging GDPR governance structures to support compliance with evolving digital and AI regulation. She has advised several big tech clients on the use of children’s data and the protection of children online, and about their development and use of artificial intelligence in the HR sphere. She has particular expertise in the collection and use of employee diversity data across Europe.

As an experienced litigator in helping clients defend group litigation, Annabel helps clients develop their strategy for responding to regulatory action and court claims relating to the use of employee and customer personal data and cookie compliance. She has successfully represented a client in one of the first post-GDPR data protection class action cases in the UK. She also regularly manages complex individual rights (data access) requests made as a precursor to litigation.

Annabel is a recognised thought leader in the data protection sphere. She regularly prepares industry responses to UK government consultations. She is a regular conference speaker and panellist, including at the Employment Lawyers Conference 2024 (on cross border data transfers in the HR context), Ethisphere Atlanta (on the collection and use of employee diversity data) and PL&B in Cambridge in 2025 (on DSARs).

Annabel is qualified to practise in England & Wales and also in the British Virgin Islands, where she spent three years advising on cross border commercial litigation and insolvency matters.