Martha Hirst is an associate in the firm’s Data Strategy & Security practice, and the White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group. She advises companies on managing cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, operational resilience, law enforcement surveillance, and data privacy risks, and related incident response, internal investigation and regulatory defence work.
Ms. Hirst has supported clients through a number of high-profile cybersecurity incidents, including in the UK, Europe and U.S. She has experience advising international financial institutions, technology corporations and law firms, with a particular focus on multijurisdictional matters involving nation-state and advanced persistent threat groups. Ms. Hirst also has experience conducting international anti-corruption investigations, and providing economic sanctions advice.
Ms. Hirst is a co-author of “The EU AI Act Countdown Is Over: First Wave of Requirements Now in Force,” NYU Compliance & Enforcement (February, 2025); “Recently Enacted AI Law in Colorado: Yet Another Reason to Implement an AI Governance Program,” NYU Compliance & Enforcement (June, 2024); “Debevoise & Plimpton Discusses the EU Artificial Intelligence Act,” CLS Blue Sky Blog (December, 2023); “The EU AI Act – Navigating the EU’s Legislative Labyrinth,” NYU Compliance & Enforcement (December, 2023); “Eight GDPR Questions when Adopting Generative AI,” NYU Compliance & Enforcement (October, 2023); “Legal Risks of Using AI Voice Analytics for Customer Service,” NYU Compliance & Enforcement (January, 2023); “Debevoise Discusses What the GDPR Can Tell Us About State Privacy Laws,” CLS Blue Sky Blog (December, 2022); “California’s Age-Appropriate Design Code Act Expands Businesses’ Privacy Obligations Regarding Minors,” NYU Compliance & Enforcement (September, 2022); “Data, cyber security and AI compliance: managing the evolving landscape,” The Drawdown(August, 2022); “UK, EU & US Russian sanctions considerations for insurers,” The Insurer (May, 2022); “Bank Melli opinion: The EU Blocking Regulation grows teeth,” Financial Institutions Sanctions Compliance (May, 2021); “JCPOA – A New Hope,” WorldECR (February, 2021); “Debevoise & Plimpton Discusses UK’s Autonomous Sanctions Regime,” CLS Blue Sky Blog (January, 2021); “UK Introduces Magnitsky-Style Human Rights Sanctions Regime,” Compliance & Enforcement (July, 2020) and “The EPPO and International Co-Operation –– New Kid on the Block,” Compliance & Enforcement (December, 2019).
Ms. Hirst joined Debevoise as a trainee solicitor in 2017. She graduated from Peterhouse, University of Cambridge in 2016 with a B.A. (Hons) and subsequently completed the LPC at BPP University Law School.
Ms. Hirst was admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales in 2019, and qualified as a Solicitor-Advocate, with rights of audience (civil), in 2022.