Local authority senior solicitor and surveillance law expert joins Act Now Training
Naomi Matthews, a Senior Solicitor and a co-ordinating officer for RIPA at a large local authority in the Midlands, has joined Act Now Training as an associate.
A surveillance law expert, Matthews is also the council's Data Protection Officer and Senior Responsible Officer for CCTV. She will continue to work for the local authority alongside her role for Act Now.
Matthews has extensive experience in all areas of information compliance and has helped prepare for RIPA inspections both for the Office of Surveillance Commissioners and Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO).
She has also worked as a defence solicitor in private practice and as a prosecutor for the local authority in a range of regulatory matters including Trading Standards, Health and Safety and Environmental prosecutions.
Matthews has higher rights of audience to present cases in the Crown Court.
Act Now said: “Naomi has many years of practical knowledge of RIPA and how to prepare for a successful prosecution/inspection. Her training has been commended by RIPA inspectors and she has also trained nationally. Naomi’s advice has helped Authorising Officers, Senior Responsible Officers and applicants understand the law and practicalities of covert surveillance.”
She is also a fee paid member of the Upper Tribunal assigned to the Administrative Appeals Chamber (Information Rights Jurisdiction and First Tier Tribunal General Regulatory Chamber (Information Rights Jurisdiction).
Ibrahim Hasan, director of Act Now Training, said: “I am pleased that Naomi has joined our team. We are impressed with her experience of RIPA and her practical approach to training which focuses on real life scenarios as opposed to just the law and guidance.”
Matthews will be delivering Act Now’s full range of RIPA workshops as well developing new ones. She is also presenting a series of one hour webinars on RIPA and Social Media and is available to deliver customised in-house training.
