Jagvinder Singh Kang graduated from the University of Birmingham's Computer Science and Software Engineering programme, before studying the Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies (GDL) at Birmingham Law School in 1995. 

He is an award winning and market leading UK technology lawyer. He is featured in Legal 500's official ‘Hall of Fame’ - which Legal 500 confirms: “highlights, to clients, the law firm partners who are at the pinnacle of the profession.” He has been recognised for over a decade in Legal 500’s 'Elite List of Outstanding Technology Lawyers Nationwide'. He is also currently ranked number one for technology law in the UK by the world’s leading legal directories, Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. This top UK position is one which he has held for every consecutive year for well over a decade. He specialises in IT (including AI), Data Protection and Cyber law, and he is currently the International & UK Head of IT Law at leading national law firm, Mills & Reeve.

What first attracted you to study at Birmingham?

I have spent almost my entire life in Birmingham and it certainly is ‘home’. When it came to studying, I knew of the excellent reputation held by the University of Birmingham, coupled with its wonderful campus, so it was a relatively straightforward decision for me.

I completed the GDL course at the Law School, having initially obtained a First Class BSc (Hons) Computer Science and Software Engineering Degree at the University of Birmingham. So, I already knew the University and campus well, even before embarking upon my legal studies.

I was also in the fortunate position to be sponsored by Pinsent Curtis (now Pinsent Masons) – a leading firm which was rightfully quite selective about which Law Schools their upcoming trainee lawyers should study at. They were very positive about me choosing to undertake the GDL at the University of Birmingham.

Can you tell us a little about your career progression since graduation?

After completing my legal studies, I trained with Pinsent Curtis (now Pinsent Masons), who at the time were regarded as a leading law firm for IT law in Birmingham. I then moved to Wragge & Co (now Gowling WLG), who welcomed the idea of having a dual qualified software engineer and technology lawyer.

I progressed within Wragge & Co and really enjoyed my time there. After a number of years, I realised that there was an opportunity in the marketplace to offer a different way of providing legal services compared to a traditional law firm.

This realisation led to me co-founding a specialist technology boutique law firm in January 2003. It was a novel (and risky!) thing to do at the time, as it had not been done before. However, it was not long before the firm was making headlines in the legal press about its innovative way of delivering legal services. The firm was a success, and after advising on billions of pounds worth of technology deals, and achieving many accolades, the leading national law firm, Mills & Reeve, approached me to leave my boutique law firm and join their firm (with over 1,300 personnel in the UK) on the ‘bigger global stage’ as their International & UK Head of IT Law in 2020.

How do you feel your studies have influenced or helped you in your career?

I feel that my studies at the University of Birmingham have been instrumental in my career path. My Computer Science and Software Engineering degree at the time was one of the few courses in the country which was accredited by a number of industry bodies, including the British Computer Society, the IEE and the IEEE. This reinforced the calibre and quality of the course, which covered cutting edge topics at the time, including agile software development and AI.

Although the GDL was very intensive, it featured some great lecturers who made the course interesting and informative. Ray Hodgin, my Tort lecturer at the time, also brought the subject to life with his anecdotes and amusing warnings to all lawyers not to do ‘DIY’ in view of all the accidents which have arisen as a result of it – an excuse which I still use to get out of the DIY at home!

Combining my passion for technology and law has allowed me to advise some of the world’s leading organisations on cutting edge technology law matters, including: 

• AI - including a NASDAQ listed company using neural network technology for facial recognition systems; 
• Global GDPR compliance programmes for some of the world’s largest companies in their sectors; 
• Advising on global crypto arrangements using blockchain technology;
• Connected Car projects for some of the world’s most recognised automotive companies;
• Cloud Computing arrangements involving the largest companies in the world; and 
• Advising on cyber breaches - including those hitting the national headlines.

What has been the highlight of your career so far? What is next for you?

The highlights of my career have been:

• Recognition by the industry as a leading UK technology lawyer for every consecutive year for well over a decade – Chambers and Partners have kindly provided this recognition in their directory and commented: “Jagvinder Singh Kang is one of the most respected technology lawyers in the market”; whilst Legal 500 have recognised my expertise by commenting: “Jagvinder Singh Kang stands out as a true expert in his field”;
• Induction into Legal 500’s official ‘Hall of Fame’ for excellence in the field of technology law;  
• Admission by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) as a ‘Fellow of Information Privacy’, a designation which the IAPP confirms is “recognition for leaders in the Privacy Field”; and
• Admission to the State Bar of California, so that I am also dual qualified from a legal perspective, to practise law in California in the USA.  

In terms of my next steps, I believe that continued growth is a lifelong journey, through experiences and continued education. As a result, I have gone on to achieve additional professional qualifications throughout my career and continue to build on them to provide clients with expert legal services. This has included achieving the ‘gold standard’ for the internationally recognised specialist Data Protection qualification, the CIPP/E (in which I achieved amongst the world’s highest professional certification scores with an average topic level exam score of 99%). 

What did you enjoy most about your time at Birmingham? Any favourite memories of campus?

I often reminisce about my time at the University, and greatly value the lifelong friendships which I made. 

I also recall how Dr Richard Maynard, a Careers’ Adviser at the University, provided me with ‘life-changing’ advice by introducing me to the prospects of a career in IT Law, which was a new field at the time.

Furthermore, my experience at the University was so wonderful, that it influenced a number of my family members to undertake their undergraduate or postgraduate degrees at the University as well, including my wife, my son, my brothers and my niece – and they have all loved their time at the University.

I still walk past the University regularly, and it is great to see ‘Old Joe’, the clock tower, which every student and alumnus at the University will be familiar with. 

What advice would you give to prospective students who may be thinking of studying at Birmingham?

Birmingham is a different place to what it was when I undertook my studies - I would say it is even better now, especially with the city having more national and international business connections. What I love about Birmingham is that it has the ‘right balance’ for just about everything in my view – and the fact that one can get to most places that one needs to go to in the city within about 15 – 30 minutes.

The University of Birmingham also offers the type of campus with its greenery, facilities and resources, which don’t leave you wanting for much else. 

As you can also see from my career path, the education and experiences at the University of Birmingham have been instrumental to my success in becoming a nationally recognised leading technology lawyer.