Shelagh Gaskill
Press release: 02/05/2006
It is with sadness that Pinsent Masons announces the death of
Shelagh Gaskill on Saturday 29th April 2006.
Shelagh, a commercial partner in the firm's Outsourcing,
Technology and Commercial Group, was a nationally respected data
protection specialist responsible for establishing and building
Pinsent Masons' information law practice which includes Dr Chris
Pounder and Rosemary Jay. Shelagh's practice encompassed many
related I.T. and commercial fields. She also led a number of the
very early outsourcing projects for major international clients
such as Rolls-Royce Plc and BAE Systems Plc., another area of
practice in which she excelled throughout her career, most recently
undertaking a global outsourcing for Diageo Plc.
Shelagh joined Pinsent Masons as a partner in 1994, having
previously lectured in law at Leeds University between 1979 – 1984
and moved into private practice with Dibb Lupton in 1984.
During her 20 year legal career, Shelagh become one of the UK's
leading data protection specialists. She was joint editor of Sweet
& Maxwell's Encyclopaedia of Data Protection and
supervisory editor of the data protection chapter of LexisNexis
Butterworth's Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents. She
lectured on data protection topics throughout Europe and had been a
leading commentator in the area for many years. Her client work was
diverse and ranged from representing commercial organisations to
individuals, often on a pro bono basis who felt their rights had
been infringed. In her work she displayed a sympathy for the rights
of the individual and for individual freedom and she viewed data
protection as an immensely valuable and basic human right.
She was an inspiration to many young lawyers interested in
information law, with whom she loved to work. Her colleagues at
Pinsent Masons and her clients, many of whom were her close friends
will miss her greatly.
Chris Mullen
Senior Partner
3 May 2006
