Sarah Birkett

Special Counsel

About

Areas of FocusTechnology Data, Privacy and Cybersecurity Technology and Commercial Transactions

Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Supreme Court of VictoriaSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

Conducting privacy audits for a number of national and international clients, including a global food and beverage manufacturer and a global consumer goods manufacturer. This involves reviewing privacy and data handling practices, policies and procedures via tailored questionnaires and workshops, and providing proactive recommendations to improve the overall level of compliance.
Advising a wide range of entities with data breach responses and cyber incidents, including advising on the mandatory data breach notification regime and responding to follow up communications with regulators. In one matter, communications with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner continued for over 12 months however the matter resulted in the OAIC closing its file.
Advising a range of national and international clients on compliance with direct marketing and spam laws, including correspondence with the regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, following consumer complaints.
Providing advice on the application of privacy and surveillance laws to COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria, the Victorian Government agency responsible for Victoria's COVID-19 accommodation response.
Assisting Victoria Police in respect of the BlueConnect program, which is responsible for transforming the management of policing information to support 'A vision for Victoria Police in 2025' - The Blue Paper. The program involves a number of separate streams, including mobile technology, intelligence management and case management and the Police Assistance Line and Online Reporting implementation.
Assisting various organisations on the contractual terms for a number of cloud based solutions from suppliers such as AWS, IBM and Salesforce, including consideration of related privacy issues.
Conducting Privacy Impact Assessments for the Victorian Department of Transport, regarding its Situational Awareness Solution for the Victorian road transport network, including consideration of the privacy implications of the use and disclosure of CCTV data, and Court Services Victoria, in respect of its electronic evidence management system.
Assisting a range of international clients establishing business in Australia, including drafting and localising website terms and conditions, warranty policies, disclaimers and refund policies.
Providing advice on various telecommunications laws, including assisting a global telecoms company on the regulatory implications of establishing a 'Voice Over Internet Protocol' service based in Australia.
Assisting one of Australia's largest transport companies in relation to the acquisition and implementation of cash counting and security systems and hardware to support its Cash in Transit business.

Education

University of Nottingham (England), Bachelor of Laws (Hons), 2005

Nottingham Law School (England), Legal Practice Course, 2006

Publications

Navigating Asia-Pacific data breach notification requirements, 16 February 2023
Data Breach Survey Intro, 07 February 2022
Data and Data Protection – Why the automotive industry needs to take notice, 3 May 2021
"Notifiable Data Breaches – Two years on", 8 October 2020
Regular contributor to DLA Piper's Privacy Matters blog.

Seminars

WIN: In-House Counsel Week 2023: Data governance and cyber security – risk management for the digital age, Melbourne 23 February 2023 and Brisbane 2 March 2023
WIN: In-House Counsel Week 2021The wandering workforce: cyber security and privacy, home offices, WHS and other employment law bear traps, 25 February 2021
WIN In-House Counsel Day 2020, Melbourne 20 February 2020 and Brisbane 19 February 2020 Data breaches - a practical guide

Memberships And Affiliations