Shona O'Connell

Senior Associate at Bird & Bird

Speaker

I am a senior associate in Bird & Bird's top rated Commercial team in London, specialising in advertising, consumer law and digital regulation, primarily in the retail, tech & comms and media & entertainment sectors. I'm also ranked as a key lawyer in Legal 500.

I advise leading brands and agencies on advertising campaigns, marketing promotions, pricing strategies, product launches, relationships with talent and influencers and resolving regulatory complaints and investigations. I have a keen interest in sustainability and I regularly advise clients on how to make and substantiate environmental claims.

I also support clients in a variety of sectors to cut through the growing body of consumer laws and regulations to understand how to interact with consumers in the UK and Europe, both online and offline. This includes advising on international expansion, e-commerce structures, customer terms and conditions, user journeys, cancellation rights and customer remedies. I am particularly interested in helping US platforms to expand into the UK and across Europe.

I am an experienced product counsel and support legal teams to comply with new and existing platform-related legislation, with a particular focus on online safety under the EU's Digital Services Act and the UK's Online Safety Act. I recently completed a secondment to a major online dating platform where I advised on content moderation issues, content policies and operationalising new online safety laws and regulations from a global perspective.

My extensive experience in both private practice and in-house provides me with a unique perspective on legal issues, and I pride myself on my ability to deliver highly commercial and pragmatic advice.