The organisation representing franchised car dealers has given Bristol-headquartered national law firm TLT a partner award for helping its members prepare for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
TLT worked closely on the issue with the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which promotes the interests of franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers with manufacturers, UK and European government, other industry trade bodies and consumers. 
GDPR, which comes into force on May 25, is an EU regulation that introduces, among other things, new rights for individuals to control how their personal data is used and a raft of new legal obligations for organisations.
TLT’s specialist data privacy and protection team conducted a GDPR impact assessment and a roadmap to compliance with the GDPR and implemented a programme to help the NFDA’s members understand and comply with their new obligations under the GDPR.
The TLT data privacy and protection team will continue to advise the association and its members on the impact of the GDPR after it has come into force.
NFDA director Sue Robinson said: “TLT’s data privacy and protection lawyers have helped us and our members to understand the regulation and to prepare fully for the May deadline. They have managed the project end to end and given clear legal advice and a very high quality of service every step of the way.”
TLT legal director Jenai Nissim, pictured, said the impact of the GDPR could not be underestimated.
“Every organisation will be affected by this, so it’s important to understand what the new rules are and what this means for you,” she said.
“Organisations need to understand the requirements of the GDPR so that they can respond appropriately to the change in law and continue to monitor and evolve their processes. We are very pleased to have helped the NFDA and its members with their readiness for the GDPR, and extremely honoured to have received this award.”
TLT partner Miles Trower added: “Huge credit to Jenai and our data privacy team for this significant achievement, which alongside leading-edge work carried out by colleagues in our regulatory, dispute resolution, corporate and real estate teams across the firm, reinforces our position as the leading legal adviser to UK automotive retail.”
TLT has a long-standing relationship with the NFDA. In 2013, the firm was shortlisted for an FT Innovative Lawyer award for their work together to coordinate a ground-breaking industry-wide campaign to initiate and influence the development of new European regulation to combat unfair trading practices in B2B relations. The campaign addressed specific anticipated gaps in effective competition regulation affecting the distribution and servicing of vehicles.
