Sophie Dawson > Bird & Bird > Sydney, Australia > Lawyer Profile

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.

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.

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.