ByteLaw

Olga Stepanova

My name is Olga Stepanova, I am Attorney at Law and Partner at ByteLaw.

As a specialist in information technology law and a specialist in intellectual property law, I advise in data protection, IT law and all legal issues related to digitalization. With extensive expertise in IT contract law, including software development and software transfer agreements, as well as regarding data protection issues arising out of the General Data Protection Regulation, I assist companies with data protection compliance and advise on app development, particularly in the banking, tech and healthcare sectors. My clients are international corporations, traditional medium-sized companies, public-sector clients and non-profit organizations.

In addition to my work as a lawyer, I am an expert examiner at the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) for various standards. I audit accredited bodies on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany in the areas of anti-corruption management systems (ISO 37001), compliance management systems (ISO 37301), IT service management (ISO 20000), quality management systems (ISO 9001) and business continuity management systems (ISO 22301).

I completed my studies at the Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster and my legal clerkship at the District Court in Dortmund, which I completed in 2016 with the second state law exam. In 2022, I obtained a master’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley, with the additional qualification “Law and Tech Certificate”.
Before co-founding ByteLaw, I was a practice group leader at WINHELLER and also worked for Arnecke Sibeth.

She was recognized by the business newspaper Handelsblatt and the US publisher Best Lawyers as “Best Lawyer” in the field of data protection law in 2021 and 2022 and in the field of IT law in 2025.

Languages:

German, English, Russian, French

Podcasts:

Publications:

  • Debtor’s obligation to check for anomalies in email invoices – Rostock Regional Court, 2nd Civil Division, judgment of November 20, 2024 – 2 O 450/24, Bernhard Veeck/Olga Stepanova Juris / DeutscheAnwaltAkademie, 06/2025
  • Separation of company founders – how to prevent a company from collapsing, Olga Stepanova/Natalia Suvorova, Juris / DeutscheAnwaltAkademie, 04/2025
  • AI application and works constitution law, Olga Stepanova, Katharina Kastanov, Juris / DeutscheAnwaltAkademie, 09/2024
  • ChatGPT Legal Handbook – Section 4 Data Protection, Olga Stepanova, Bernhard Veeck, NomosPraxis, 2024
  • Whistleblower protection and works constitution law, Olga Stepanova, Katharina Kastanov, Juris / DeutscheAnwaltAkademie, 07/2024
  • Business Future: Navigating the 4th Industrial Revolution, Silvia Andriotto, Olga Stepanova, Global Book Publishing, 2024
  • Blockchain-based fundraising for NPOs 2.0, Philipp Hornung, Olga Stepanova, Alexander Vielwerth, C.H. Beck – DStR Deutsches Steuerrecht, 01/ 2024, S. 81 f.
  • The ECJ on relative personal reference – A landmark decision with an inconsistency, Olga Stepanova, Bernhard Veeck, DSB – Datenschutz-Berater, 12/2023, S. 339-341
  • Overview of the new Data Privacy Framework between the EU and the US (EU-US Data Privacy Framework), Olga Stepanova, Patricia Jechel, AnwZert HaGesR, juris/DeutscheAnwaltAkademie, 11/2023
  • The crypto custody agreement from a civil law perspective, Michael Kissler, Olga Stepanova, BKR – Zeitschrift für Bank und Kapitalmarktrecht, 10/2023, S. 735 f.
  • Comment on: Schufa scoring procedure in conflict with the GDPR ECJ, Case C-634/21 (pending), Olga Stepanova, Florian Groothuis, LTZ – Legal Tech – Zeitschrift für die digitale Anwendung – Nomos, 8. Aug. 2023. S. 232 f.
  • Transferability of the claim for immaterial damages under Article 82(1) of the GDPR, Bernhard Veeck, Olga Stepanova, ZD – Zeitschrift für Datenschutz, 6/2023, S. 317 f.
  • Fines imposed by the CNIL and German supervisory authorities, Olga Stepanova, Florian Groothuis, DuD – Datenschutz und Datensicherheit – Springer Verlag, 2023, S. 295–298
  • Digitization projects in the association, Olga Stepanova, Florian Groothuis, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, SpoPrax 2023, S. 46-51
  • Data protection in insolvency proceedings, Olga Stepanova, Amélia Munchetty Chendriah, AnwZert HaGesR, 1/2023, Anm. 2
  • Data protection violations (calculation of damages according to the GDPR), in: StichwortKommentar Schadenrecht (Keyword Commentary on Tort Law), Jochen Link, Ass. jur. Rüdiger Balke und Frank Pardey, Nomos-Verlag, 1. Aufl. 2023
  • The Privacy, Data Protection and Cybersecurity Law Review – Chapter 13 – Germany, Olga Stepanova, Patricia Jechel, Law Business Research, 9. Auflage 2022, S. 204–212,
  • Comment on the decision of the Administrative Court of Wiesbaden: Balancing act between data protection and insolvency law, Olga Stepanova, Patricia Jechel, RDi – Recht digital, 9/2022, S. 408 f.
  • Classification of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) under company law, Olga Stepanova, AnwZert HaGesR, juris/DeutscheAnwaltAkademie, 17/2022, Anm. 1
  • The “fruit of the poisonous tree” doctrine in data protection? Jörn Erbguth, Olga Stepanova, ZD – Zeitschrift für Datenschutz, 5/2022, S. 249 f.
  • The Privacy, Data Protection and Cybersecurity Law Review – Chapter 11 – Germany, Olga Stepanova, Patricia Jechel, Law Business Research, 8. Auflage 2021, S. 173–181
  • Fines under the GDPR – association liability or legal entity liability? Olga Stepanova, AnwZert HaGesR, juris/DeutscheAnwaltAkademie, 20/2021, S. 7 f.
  • Data protection requirements regarding a shareholder’s right to information, Olga Stepanova, AnwZert HaGesR, juris/DeutscheAnwaltAkademie,18/2021, S. 4 f.
  • § 140-148 German Tax Code E. Data protection; legal forms for non-profit organizations – association Appendix Data protection, Olga Stepanova, in: Gesamtes Gemeinnützigkeitsrecht, Stefan Winheller, Stefan Geibel, Monika Jachmann-Michel, Nomos-Verlag, 2. Aufl. 2020
  • Data localization principle in Russia – an obstacle to the free exchange of data with the EU?
    Olga Stepanova, Florian Groothuis, ZD – Zeitschrift für Datenschutz, 6/2020, S. 291 f.
  • The Privacy, Data Protection and Cybersecurity Law Review – Chapter 13 – Germany, Olga Stepanova, Julius Feldmann, Law Business Research, 7. Auflage 2020, S. 195–205
  • Annual general meetings – new challenges posed by the GDPR,
    Olga Stepanova, AnwZert HaGesR, juris/DeutscheAnwaltAkademie, 10/2020, Anm. 2
  • Data unions: A solution to the consent dilemma? Jörn Erbguth, Olga Stepanova, Andreas Diehl, Legal Revolutionary, 18.05.2020, S. 145 f.