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Jan Pohle

Partner
Ensures consistent service at the highest level across all locations… experienced and unagitatedly pragmatic.
clients IT law, JUVE Handbook 2023/2024
About

With more than twenty years of professional experience, Jan Pohle is one of the leading legal advisors for technology and data protection law in the German market. He advises national and international companies on complex, technology-related projects, on legal issues relating to digitalization, on data protection law issues, and on legal issues relating to information security.

His practice is focused on strategic digitalization and outsourcing projects (ITO and BPO) as complex IT procurement and implementation projects including the comprehensive legal structuring and management of such long-term projects.

Jan further advises on international and domestic IT compliance, data privacy and cyber security projects and related ongoing support in this area. Finally, he deals with the legal management of (potential) cyberattacks.

Jan is lecturer at the University of Oldenburg in the postgraduate program Law and Information Systems. He is, inter alia, co-editor of the benchmark publication Computerrechtshandbuch and among others author at Taeger/Gabel commentary on GDPR and BDSG.

EXPERIENCE

  • Ongoing advice to a German international prime insurer group on strategic outsourcing and digitalization projects, inter alia, on a long term digital lifecycle management solution in the life insurance segment.
  • Ongoing advice to a leading global payment solutions service provider, inter alia, on contractual issues of technology-based service offerings with strategic partners.
  • Ongoing advice to a global specialty chemicals group on structured procurement processes for business process and IT outsourcing projects, most recently on the structured procurement process for awarding the consolidation and operation of the group-wide IT infrastructure and centralized corporate applications in the multi-provider environment as well as on the group-wider digitalization program.
  • Advise to various top-tier international IT services and outsourcing provider on a multitude of strategic system development, infrastructure and business process outsourcing transaction with German domestic and international blue chip clients.
  • Advising a leading international OEM of commercial vehicles on technology legal aspects of its strategic autonomous driving project.
  • Advising a German international automotive OEM on various integrated digital business models, on technology transactions and on privacy matters, including, inter alia, on its GDPR compliance program.
  • Advising a globally active medical technology and healthcare group on contractual and data protection issues of a strategic IT procurement and outsourcing project.
  • Advising a corporate group on a test case regarding various legal issues of the right to information according to Art 15 DSGVO.
  • Advising various national and international companies on cyberattacks, including an insurer on the management and consequences of a ransomware attack.
Languages
  • German
  • English
Education
  • University of Cologne, First State Exam, 1992
  • Higher Regional Court of Dusseldorf, Second State Examination, 1996

Awards & Recognitions

  • JUVE Handbook 2022/2023: Frequently recommended for information technology: contracts/litigation and transactions/outsourcing, data protection as well as for insurance law: corporate advice; “fantastic expertise, very good team”, client, IT law
  • Legal 500 Germany 2022: Leading individual and recommended for information technology and digitalisation as well as recommended for information technology: data protection and IT transactions and outsourcing; “Jan Pohle and Thorsten Ammann are very communicative. Their English is exemplary, as is their ability to explain complex legal issues in English. Their style is particularly helpful, as they are always happy to take the time to discuss the key differences in law, clients and practice that need to be considered when doing business in Germany.”
  • Handelsblatt in cooperation with Best Lawyers 2023/2024: Recommended for information technology law, data security and privacy law, outsourcing and insurance law
  • WirtschaftsWoche 2023: Recommended as “top lawyer” for IT law
  • Kanzleimonitor 2020/2021: Recommended for IT law
  • Client Choice Award Germany IT Law 2014

Publications

  • Co-Publisher of Handbook on Computer Law, Verlag C.H.Beck, Munich 2022
  • Co-Publisher, FinTech – Digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence and Supervisory Regulation of Financial Services, Berlin 2022
  • Commentary on Articles 12 and 10 DSGVO and §§ 20, 21 and 44 BDSG (together with Jan Spittka), in Taeger/Gabel (eds.) DSGVO/BDSG, Frankfurt am Main 2022
  • DORA: The EU Regulation on Digital Operational Resilience in the Financial Sector, in Versicherungsrecht 2023, Issue 3, p. 273
  • Outsourcing: A Practical Guide, Second Edition, 16 February 2021
  • Data protection through technology design in contractual practice, in Kommunikation & Recht 2021, Booklet 6, p. 374
  • “Innovative - and now? The European Commission's draft regulation on the regulation of artificial intelligence”, in Compliance & Recht 2021, Issue 10, p. 371
  • Datenschutz durch Technikgestaltung in der Vertragspraxis, ("Data Protection through Technology Design in Contractual Practice"), in Specht-Riemenschneider, Buchner, Heinze, Thomsen (eds.), IT-Recht in Wissenschaft und Praxis ("IT Law in Science and Practice"), Festschrift für Jürgen Taeger, Frankfurt am Main, 2020
  • Editor to "Data Privacy Legislation in the European Union Member States - a Practical Overview, in Cri Computer Law Review International, 2019, Edition 4, P. 97 (Part 1) and Edition 4, P. 133 (Part 2)
  • "The revision of § 203 StGB - the liberating blow for IT outsourcing using the example of the insurance industry ?" (together with Sheila Ghaffari), in Computer und Recht 2017, Issue 8, p. 489

Seminars

  • Tech and Sourcing Webinar Series - Best Practise Procurement, Webinar, 11 May 2015
  • Tech and Sourcing Webinar Series - Key differences for civil/ common law contracts in technology deals, 10 Dec 2013
  • Technology and Sourcing Webinar: Contract law update, 19 Sep 2013
  • Technology and Sourcing Webinar Series, New trends and developments in outsourcing agreements, 29 Feb 2012

Prior Experience

  • 2011 to date, Partner DLA Piper UK LLP, Cologne
  • 2004 - 2010, Partner at a leading commercial law firm, Düsseldorf
  • 2001 - 2004, Partner at an international commercial law firm, Cologne
  • 1996 - 2001, Associate and Partner at a leading commercial law firm, Cologne

Lecturer

Jan is lecturer for telecommunication law at Humboldt University Berlin and for internet law at the University of Oldenburg. He furthermore is lecturer for telecommunication law at the specialist solicitor course for information technology at the German Lawyer's Academy.

Memberships And Affiliations

  • German Association for Law and Informatics (DGRI e.V.)
  • International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw) 
  • The Working Group IT of the German Lawyers' Association (DAV IT) 
  • German Lawyers Association (DAV)

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