UK law firm Bird & Bird set to open new Dublin office

London law firm Bird & Bird to bring specialist data protection, IP and technology offering to Irish market

Deirdre Kilroy and Anna Morgan, partners with  Bird & Bird, which is opening a new office in Dublin.

Law firm Bird & Bird has appointed Deirdre Kilroy and Anna Morgan as the first two partners to join its new office in Dublin.

Data protection, IP and technology specialists, Deirdre and Anna will be based in Bird & Bird’s offices at George’s Dock, near Dublin’s tech hub Grand Canal Dock. Headquartered in London Bird & Bird officially opens June 13.

Deirdre Kilroy joins from Irish law firm Matheson, where she was a partner in the technology and innovation team. 

She has more than 20 years’ experience in technology, data privacy and intellectual property law, particularly for clients in the data and technology, life sciences and pharmaceuticals sectors.

Anna Morgan joins from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) where she was a deputy commissioner and the head of legal affairs for the past five years. 

Before that, she worked in private practice for 10 years, specialising in data protection and commercial and regulatory litigation.

Anna is a well-known expert in data protection, and is a regular speaker at international conferences, as well as lecturing on the topic. 

She was the lead rapporteur for the EDPB’s Guidelines on Transparency under the GDPR and also led the DPC’s work on children’s data protection issues.

Holistic offering

Working closely with existing Bird & Bird partners around the network, this specialist set up will provide clients with a holistic offering – combining leading local Irish knowledge with the global expertise of the firm’s international team.

Alongside Deirdre and Anna, Roger Bickerstaff (technology and communications) and Sally Shorthose (life sciences and healthcare) will work closely with the new team on the ground to fully immerse them in the international Bird & Bird network and to support the projected rapid growth of the office.

Partner Stuart Cairns, co-head of the international projects and procurement group, as well as Francine Cunningham, director of the regulatory and public affairs practice in Brussels, will also spend time in the new Dublin office, serving Irish clients.