Shima Abbady
Bird & BirdBird & Bird‘s privacy and data protection practice draws on the firm’s expertise in regulated industries including life sciences, online platforms, telecoms and finance to advise clients on data regulation and security incidents. The practice is jointly led by data experts Berend Van Der Eijk and Wilfred Steenbruggen. Van der Eijk is well versed in advising international clients with a focus on technology and fintech on EU data regulations including the Data Act, AI Act and Digital Services Act (DSA). Steenbruggen manages data compliance involving the GDPR and regulatory enforcement matters. The team is supported by two strong data-focused associates Chloë Verschoor and Shima Abbady.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is very responsive and able to quickly help and come up with solutions. The team at Bird & Bird has thorough knowledge of the GDPR, relevant developments and access to a global network they can easily leverage for other jurisdictions.’
‘Working together with Berend van der Eijk over the past years has been great. He is very smart and brings solid expertise and experience. Berend provides honest advice with the right amount of detail.'
'Shima Abbady is on the rise. Very knowledgeable on AI. She is able to quickly adapt to our challenges and tries to come up with pragmatic solutions. Always fun to work with Shima.’
‘I think Bird and Bird has an outstanding privacy practice in Europe. In particular Berend van der Eijk is a terrific advisor. What distinguishes him is that he not only really knows the law and regulatory status, but he also knows the practical implications and best practices.'
‘I have had the pleasure of working with Berend van der Eijk, who exemplifies the firm's strengths. Berend is always prompt, practical, and precise in his responses, which has been immensely helpful.’
'In particular, they excel in handling complex, multi-jurisdictional data breaches and compliance issues, showcasing their expertise and strength in these challenging situations.’
‘Wilfred Steenbruggen is among the most knowledgeable lawyers in the field of data privacy. More importantly, though, he is one of the very few lawyers that is able to provide swift and practical advice on difficult data privacy issues.'
'From the start, they made it a priority to understand the company’s unique needs, offering tailored and practical legal solutions that addressed both short-term objectives and long-term goals.'
Key clients
- European Commission
- Discord
- Teva Pharmaceuticals
- Bridgestone
- Substack
- Mapbox
- Speedcast
- Sdu
- Groep Digitale Diensten
- ABB
- Adyen
- Nuts Groep
- Viaplay
- DocuSign
- WeTransfer
- Domino’s Pizzas
- Epson
- Adidas
- Coloplast
- Delta Energie
- Elastic
- Nextdoor
Work highlights
- Advising Teva Pharmaceuticals as DPO on daily data protection law compliance.
- Assisting the European Commission with setting up the European Blockchain Sandbox as well as advising on its European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) project.
- Advised a global payment provider on data protection law compliance and wider data regulation, including artificial intelligence.
Lawyers
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Berend van der Eijk
Bird & BirdPractice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Berend van der Eijk, Wilfred Steenbruggen