Shona O'Connell

Shona O'Connell is a Senior Associate in Bird & Bird's Commercial team in London, ranked as a key lawyer in Legal 500. Her primary practice area is Consumer Protection Law, specialising in advertising, consumer law and digital regulation, primarily in the retail, tech & comms and media & entertainment sectors.

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

She also supports clients across a variety of sectors to navigate the growing body of consumer laws and regulations in the UK and Europe, both online and offline, including international expansion, e-commerce structures, customer terms and conditions, user journeys, cancellation rights and customer remedies. She is particularly interested in helping US platforms expand into the UK and across Europe.

She is an experienced product counsel, supporting 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. She recently completed a secondment to a major online dating platform, where she advised on content moderation issues, content policies and operationalising new online safety laws and regulations from a global perspective.

Her experience in both private practice and in-house provides her with a unique perspective on legal issues, and she focuses on delivering highly commercial and pragmatic advice.