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Guidance for Early Career Professionals in Privacy Law

This resource provides guidance for early career professionals in privacy law.

Published: October 2025

View as Infographic (PDF)

Navigate guidance

This resource, developed by the IAPP Privacy Bar Section Advisor Board provides guidance for early career professionals in privacy law, including skills in focus, career resources, milestones and more.

Guidance for Early Career Professionals in Privacy Law

This resource is also available as an infographic in PDF format, accessible here.

Early privacy law career skills in focus

• Become a master of foundational concepts in privacy (e.g., opt-in vs. opt-out consent, privacy by design and default, and data subject rights.)
• Understand legislative developments and enforcement trends.
• Foster the ability to adeptly conduct research, knowing your resources and where to look.
• Sharpen your acumen in understanding the business objectives and culture of employers and/or clients.
• Develop skills in:
  • Different forms of writing (e.g., legal briefs and client advisories, operational documents, policy-focused writing and comparative legal analysis)/li>
  • Communication
  • Active listening
  • Negotiation
  • Coping mechanisms to deal with challenges
  • Information and fact-gathering (What to ask, as well as to whom)
• Understand how technology works (e.g., operations, functions of certain technologies and awareness of emergent developments) by asking the right questions.

Early privacy law career milestones

• When working at law firms, early goals revolve around expectations set by your firm or employer.
• When working in-house, early goals revolve around understanding the company’s business objectives, building legal advice based on these objectives, and effectively communicating this advice to relevant stakeholders.

Build on success

• To identify an area where you should focus on growth, ask yourself:
  • Where did clients successfully implement my feedback?
  • Where did I receive positive feedback from clients or supervisors?

Early privacy law career resources

Education:

• Complete IAPP certification exams and training programs.
• Participate in local IAPP KnowledgeNet events.
• Attend webinars, continuing legal education and other resources through state bar associations.
• Sign up for privacy, data protection and AI-related newsletters.

Networking:

• Identify key professionals and experts in the field to connect with and learn from their experiences.

Work experience:

• Have a variety of internships/traineeships to learn how different legal practices/sectors differ and overlap (e.g., law firms, corporations or government agencies).
• Mentorships:
  • Hone skills by observing one’s supervisors or more experienced colleagues.
  • Lean on unofficial or naturally occurring relationships, not only on formal mentorship programs.

Advice to one’s younger self

• Stay curious by taking an active interest in, learning about, and working on issues at the intersection of privacy and other digital laws.
• Expose yourself to opportunities.
• Invest in your professional growth through continued education, whether that be through degrees, certification programs, or CLEs.
• Mistakes happen; reframe them as learning experiences.
• Set boundaries for yourself by staying focused; do not lose sight of the problem you are trying to solve.
• Always listen for what, specifically, is being asked of you.

Final words of encouragement

• Attorneys can enter the privacy field regardless of age or years of practice.
• Retooling, moving to the privacy field from another, is common; know your strengths and what value you bring to the field through your background.
• Keep pushing forward despite the inevitable obstacles and rejections that come with any profession.