Skip to main content
School of Law
  1. School of Law
  2. People
  3. Academic Staff
  4. Items

Professor Christopher Millard, LLB, MA, LLM, Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

Christopher

Professor of Privacy and Information Law

Email: c.millard@qmul.ac.uk
Room Number: Lincoln's Inn Fields
Website: http://www.cloudlegal.ccls.qmul.ac.uk/

Profile

Christopher Millard is Professor of Privacy and Information Law and head of the Cloud Legal Project in the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London. He is also Co-Director of the Microsoft Cloud Computing Research Centre and is Senior Counsel to the law firm Bristows.

Christopher has over 40 years of experience in technology law, both in academia and legal practice. His first book, Legal Protection of Computer Programs and Data (Sweet & Maxwell, 1985), was one of the earliest international comparative law works in the field and he has since published widely on legal and regulatory issues relating to information technology, e-commerce, the Internet, data protection, and privacy. Since 2008 his main research focus has been cloud computing. He is editor and co-author of Cloud Computing Law (Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 2021), is a founding editor of the International Journal of Law and IT, and is an emeritus editor of International Data Privacy Law.

Christopher is a Fellow and former Chairman of the Society for Computers & Law, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a past-President of the International Federation of Computer Law Associations, and a past-Chair of the Technology Law Committee of the International Bar Association.

Before he joined Bristows in 2008, Christopher was head of the global privacy and data protection practice at Linklaters and prior to that he was a partner at Clifford Chance. He has twice been designated Internet and eCommerce Lawyer of the Year by the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers.

In 2022, the Cloud Legal Project launched on Coursera an innovative online specialisation in Cloud Computing Law. Christopher Millard is an instructor in the weeks that cover cloud services, cloud contracts, data protection law, and international data transfers.

Postgraduate Teaching

  • CCLP604 Cloud Computing Law (Paris LLM)
  • CCLP209 EU Data Protection Law (Paris LLM)
  • SOLM209 EU Data Protection law (London LLM)
  • CCDM043 Cloud Computing law (Distance Learning LLM)

Research

Christopher Millard’s current research interests are cloud computing law and regulation, privacy and information law, and the legal implications of emerging technologies.

Research projects:

Christopher has led the Cloud Legal Project since it was established in 2009 and has been Joint Director (with Professor Jon Crowcroft of the University of Cambridge) of the Microsoft Cloud Computing Research Centre since its launch in 2014. He is also a principal investigator on the EU-funded Cloud Accountability Project - A4Cloud (2012-2016).
 

Publications

Books

  • Cloud Computing Law (Oxford University Press, 2013; 2nd edition 2021)
  • Data Protection Laws of the World (Sweet & Maxwell, 1998-2002)
  • Legal Protection of Computer Programs and Data (Carswell / Sweet & Maxwell, 1985)

Journal Editorships

  • Co-Editor (since launch in 1993), International Journal of Law and Information Technology (Oxford University Press)
  • Co-Founding Editor (2010 – 2020), International Data Privacy Law (Oxford University Press) Emeritus Editor since 2020.

Book Chapters

  • “Cloud Computing Demystified (Part 2): Control, Security and Risk in the Cloud”, (with Kuan Hon and Jatinder Singh). Updated book chapter, available (9 February 2022)
  • “Cloud Computing Demystified (Part 1): Technical and Commercial Fundamentals”, (with Kuan Hon and Jatinder Singh). Updated book chapter, available (9 February 2022)
  • Contributor for Articles 26-29 of the Commentary on the General Data Protection Regulation (with Dimitra Kamarinou), Bygrave, Kuner and Docksey (eds.) (Oxford University Press, 2020)
  • “Machine Learning with Personal Data” (with Dimitra Kamarinou and Jat Singh) in Leenes, Van Brakel, Gutwirth and De Hert (eds.), Data Protection and Privacy: The Age of Intelligent Machines, (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017)
  • “Data Privacy in the Clouds” in Graham & Dutton (eds.), Society and the Internet (Oxford University Press, 2014)
  • "Communications Privacy" in Walden (ed.), Telecommunications Law (4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2012)
  • "Copyright" in Reed (ed.), Computer Law (7th ed., Oxford University Press, 2011)
  • Contributor to Concise European IT Law, Buellesbach, Poullet and Prins (eds.) (2nd ed., Kluwer, 2010)
  • "Data Protection" in Haftke (ed.), A Practitioner's Guide to the Regulation of the Internet (2nd ed., City & Financial Publishing, 2001)
  • “Copyright in Cyberspace” in Strauss (ed.) New Technologies, Global Markets and Territoriality of Laws: A Challenge for Intellectual Property (AIPPI, 1998)
  • "Intellectual Property Aspects of Technology Transfers" (co-author) in Rubin (ed.), International Technology Transfers (Graham & Trotman / Martinus Nijhoff, 1995)
  • "United Kingdom" in Jongen & Meijboom (eds.), Software Protection in the EC (Kluwer, 1993)
  • "Data Protection" in Data Communications Handbook (CommEd Publishing, 1993)
  • "Contractual Issues of EDI" in Walden (ed.), EDI and the Law (Blenheim Online, 1989)

Selected Articles and Research Papers

Public Engagement

Selected organisational roles

  • Life Fellow: Society for Computers and Law (SCL)
  • Life Fellow: Royal Society of Arts (RSA)
  • Advisory Board Member, Centre for Law and Information Policy, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
  • Member: ICC Task Force on Privacy and Protection of Personal Data / Task Force on Digital Economy
  • Member: Advisory Board for the Framework for Responsible Research and Innovation in ICT (2011 – 2014) 
  • Member: UK Public-Private Forum on Identity Management (2006-8)
  • Co-Chair: Technology Law Committee of the International Bar Association (2002-4)
  • Member: OECD Steering Group on Contractual Solutions for Transborder Data Flows (2000-1)
  • President: International Federation of Computer Law Associations (1994-6)
  • Chair: Society for Computers & Law (1994-6)

News and media

Recent reviews in professional directories

  • “Christopher Millard is a ‘highly influential’ lawyer who is described by peers as an ‘impressive thought leader’ in the data sector.” Who’s Who Legal, 2022.
  • “The ‘excellent’ Christopher Millard is touted as a ‘mastermind’ with three decades of experience advising on an array of regulatory matters including data privacy and protection and cloud issues.” Who’s Who Legal, 2021
  • “The ‘very well respected’ Christopher Millard is ‘a brilliant mind on privacy issues, especially in relation to the cloud and the internet of things’.” Chambers and Partners, 2018
  • “Bristows’ … most highly rated practitioner Christopher Millard is referred to as ‘the top data protection lawyer in the country’ by a number of respondents.” Who’s Who Legal, 2017
  • “Christopher Millard is a highly experienced and respected figure in the world of information technology law, drawing on decades of experience working on the most complex data security matters.” Chambers and Partners, 2017
  • “Christopher Millard advises on the most complex and nuanced issues in information law in both contentious and non-contentious contexts.” Chambers and Partners, 2016
  • “Christopher Millard is a real leader in the field of IT, and is admired for his work for companies, NGOs and in academic circles regarding international data protection and privacy law.” Chambers and Partners, 2014
  • “Christopher Millard is a venerable figure in the IT sphere. He has a wealth of experience in the field of privacy and information law, and his advice in this regard is sought after across the academic, political and commercial spheres.” Chambers and Partners, 2013
  • “The deeply experienced Christopher Millard is highly recommended for his knowledge of the legal aspects of cloud computing.” Chambers and Partners, 2012

Related news

Back to top