Bird & Bird > Sydney, Australia > Firm Profile

Bird & Bird > The Legal 500 Rankings

Australia > Data protection Tier 2

The privacy and data protection team at Bird & Bird is ‘unique because it has excellent global reach and expertise’: working as part of an integrated global practice, it tracks international precedents to best support clients within Australia’s changing regulatory environment. The ‘very knowledgeable’ Sophie Dawson co-leads the team from Sydney, advising major companies on privacy law reform and providing strategic privacy advice. Also in Sydney, Hamish Fraser co-leads the team with notable experience in providing data breach advice to global platforms and cloud providers. Privacy compliance is an area of strength for Sydney partner Julie Cheeseman, who works with clients from a range of industries encompassing the media, technology, retail and consumer sectors, among others.

Australia > IT and telecoms Tier 2

Bird & Bird is a key player in the TMT space and is sought out for its advice, which not only covers data protection and privacy, but also extends to the law covering space, satellites and autonomous vehicles. The team is co-headed by Hamish Fraser, who is active in commercial and regulatory matters in tech, and Thomas Jones, who is well equipped to handle licensing, procurement, distribution and IP issues. Shane Barber is another key partner, specialising in media and communications. All named practitioners are based in Sydney.

Australia > Media and entertainment Tier 2

With its expert knowledge of the industry, coupled with a capacity for ‘lateral and strategic thought’, the team at Bird & Bird attracts a broad spectrum of global and domestic clients. While it is well-equipped to deal with traditional media matters, the group particularly leverages its strong presence in the computer games industry and knowledge of sports media rights sales and acquisitions, the latter of which has been further cemented following the recent addition of sports law expert Brianna Quinn. The team is co-headed by Sophie Dawson, who has extensive experience in privacy, copyright and defamation law; and media lawyer Shane Barber, who is highly sought after by gaming businesses seeking regulatory aid.

Australia > Intellectual property Tier 3

Leveraging support from its international network, Bird & Bird is often engaged in intellectual property litigation and is notably active across the life sciences, media, and retail sectors. Jane Owen oversees the department, and her broad practice encompasses portfolio design infringements, patent and trade mark oppositions as well as portfolio management. Lynne Lewis is active in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors and is well regarded for her expertise in multi-jurisdictional intellectual property litigation. All of the individuals mentioned are located in Sydney.

Australia > Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 4

The dispute resolution team at Bird & Bird has ‘deep domain knowledge in all aspects of litigation, regulatory matters, IP and privacy’, and particular sector strength in the IT, media and sports industries, regularly representing clients in cases which involve defamation issues. Sophie Dawson and Jonathon Ellis co-lead the team from Sydney; Dawson specialises in technology and media matters, while Ellis enjoys a strong reputation in commercial litigation. Also in Sydney, Julie Cheeseman bolsters the team’s growing cybersecurity expertise.

Australia > Labour and employment Tier 5

Bird & Bird’s labour and employment team, located in Sydney, assists domestic and multinational clients with a range of contentious and non-contentious matters. Its workload includes cases of workplace misconduct and spans from initial investigations through to employment litigation at the appellate level. Practice head Kristy Peacock-Smith specialises in matters relating to unfair dismissal, discrimination and breaches of contract, and is also called upon to deliver training programmes to businesses.

Australia > Competition and trade