Sophie Dawson

Sophie Dawson joined Bird & Bird ‘s Sydney office in February 2018 after 23 years in the TMT practice at another firm specialising in areas including privacy. She is now part of Bird & Bird’s leading global data protection team.

Ms Dawson’s privacy work has in recent years included advising on cybersecurity and data breach issues, acting for clients in relation to investigations by the OAIC, preparing Privacy Impact Assessments of key State and Commonwealth Government projects affecting privacy (including in relation to changes in relevant laws), and advising on privacy and surveillance aspects of popular home devices, telemetry and other projects. Ms Dawson and her team also regularly assist private and public sector clients with day to day privacy policy and other compliance issues, including privacy clauses in agreements. At Bird & Bird, this work includes a significant amount of compliance and other work for clients who collect, use and disclose data in multiple jurisdictions around the world and who utilise Bird & Bird’s extensive coverage in this area.

Ms Dawson has written the privacy and surveillance chapter of a popular Thomson Looseleaf service entitled Media & Internet Law & Practice for over 10 years.

Ms Dawson has also acted for clients in privacy-related litigation including as early as 1998, when she acted in the successful defence of a newspaper in one of the early cases seeking to establish a cause of action in tort for publication of private information.

Ms Dawson is on the executive committee of the Australian Chapter of the IIC. She is also on the executive committee of the Communications and Media Law Association, and sits on the advisory board of the Centre for Media Transition.

She has a first class honours degree in Law and an Economics degree from the ANU.