POPIA & PAIA Compliance Masterclass
Presenters : Nicolene Schoeman-Louw
Overview
POPIA and PAIA compliance has become a non-negotiable requirement for South African law firms and legal practitioners. With increasing regulatory scrutiny, evolving data privacy risks, and the growing use of AI and legal technology, firms must ensure that their information governance frameworks align with both the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA).
This practical and informative masterclass will provide legal professionals with a comprehensive understanding of their obligations relating to the collection, processing, storage, protection and disclosure of personal information within a legal practice environment. The session will further explore the intersection between confidentiality, legal professional privilege, PAIA requests and POPIA compliance obligations.
Join Nicolene Schoeman-Louw as she unpacks the legislative framework governing personal information in South Africa, explains the practical implementation of lawful processing principles and shares actionable compliance strategies that law firms can immediately apply within their organisations.
Learning objectives
Attending this webinar will equip you with the following skills:
• Understand the legislative framework and compliance requirements of POPIA and PAIA for law firms
• Identify and classify personal information processed within a legal practice
• Apply the eight conditions for lawful processing in day-to-day firm operations
• Implement practical compliance measures, including Information Officer registration, policies and retention frameworks
• Distinguish between confidentiality, legal professional privilege, and statutory disclosure obligations
• Assess data privacy risks associated with AI tools and emerging legal technologies
Content
The webinar will cover the following topics:
• Introduction to POPIA and PAIA Compliance
o Overview of the legislative framework
o The role of the Information Regulator
o Compliance obligations for law firms
o Consequences of non-compliance
• Understanding Personal Information and Data Subject Rights
o Definition of personal information under POPIA
o Data subject participation and rights
o Lawful processing principles
o Information quality, openness and security safeguards
• Confidentiality, Legal Privilege and Information Governance
o Attorney-client confidentiality obligations
o Legal professional privilege under PAIA
o Grounds for refusal of access requests
o Managing privileged and confidential records
• PAIA Compliance Requirements for Law Firms
o Information Officer and Deputy Information Officer duties
o Compiling and maintaining a PAIA Manual
o Managing access requests and timelines
o Record management and retention obligations
• AI, Technology and Data Privacy Risks
o POPIA implications of AI and legal technology tools
o Operator agreements and third-party risks
o Managing cybersecurity and data breach obligations
o Best practices for ongoing compliance monitoring
