Shane Barber > Bird & Bird > Sydney, Australia > Lawyer Profile
Bird & Bird Offices
Level 22
25 Martin Place
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
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Shane Barber
Work Department
Corporate
Position
Partner
Career
In addition to my role as the Managing Partner of our Australian operations, I’m a corporate, communications and media lawyer looking after innovative clients operating both regionally and internationally. At Bird & Bird in Australia, we conduct a busy corporate practice focussed on the key industry sectors we serve globally.
With over 30 years’ experience acting for some of Australia’s major corporations in the knowledge economy, I am a key adviser to one of the country’s four leading telecommunications carriers, along with numerous carriage service providers, network infrastructure owners and technology suppliers. Over the years, I have also advised many media, communications and technology industry groups around the world, including in Europe, South Africa, Israel and New Zealand, on complex issues such as telecommunications interception, data storage and convergence. Increasingly, I am advising clients on regulatory issues arising in relation to emerging technology applications, including payments and Fintech.
Today I’m also one of the region’s network rollout legal and regulatory specialists and advise on two of the most significant telecommunications network rollout projects in Australia – including acting for Vodafone in its joint venture with Optus.
A significant part of my practice is conducting corporate transactions regarding mergers and acquisitions, fundraising (including IPOs), capital markets regulation and providing corporate law advice for leading national and international organisations immersed in the new economy, particularly for enterprises in the advertising and media industries.
Before joining Bird & Bird, in addition to my role as a partner with another global law firm, I was Corporate Counsel to the Optus Group. I’ve served as President of Australia’s Communications and Media Law Association on two occasions and am a former editor of the Communications Law Bulletin. You’ll find more about me in Who’s Who Legal, Best Lawyers, Chambers Asia Pacific, Doyle’s Guide to the Legal Profession and Asia Pacific Legal 500.
Admissions
- Supreme Court of New South Wales, 1990
- High Court of Australia, 1990
Education
- UNSW Australia, LLB
- UNSW Australia, BCom (Accounting, Finance and Information Systems)
- UTS, Grad. Dip. Leg. Prac.
Lawyer Rankings
Australia > Media and entertainment
Bird & Bird is regularly engaged by social media platforms, gaming companies, media conglomerates, and international sports federations. The team’s broad expertise includes privacy, defamation, contempt, licensing, and marketing and advertising laws, with strong capabilities in pre-publication advice. Shane Barber advises global businesses on media law aspects and supports video game clients with regulatory issues. Julie Cheeseman specialises in handling contentious matters, compulsory processes, and pre-publication advice. Rich Hawkins brings deep expertise in high-value sports media rights transactions. Brianna Quinn is instrumental in maintaining the firm’s prominent standing in the sports sector, but the team suffered a blow when Sophie Dawson departed in May 2024.
Australia > IT and telecoms
With a global presence, Bird & Bird’s recent caseload encompasses data breaches, regulatory telecommunications work, and project rollouts. In Sydney, team lead Thomas Jones is a key port of call for public sector entities. Shane Barber advises clients on regulatory FinTech matters, Julie Cheeseman is experienced in media disputes, and Matthew Bovaird is focused on competition law. Nick Boyle joined the team from DLA Piper in November 2024. Hamish Fraser departed the firm in 2024.