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A leading privacy and data protection expert, Ciara joins Fieldfisher from Meta, having also worked previously at LinkedIn, where she provided in-house counsel on matters of data protection. With a strong in-house counsel background in large multinational technology companies, her expertise allows her to offer strategic and practical legal advice with a keen focus on embedding data protection practices in products, services and in the day-to-day running of an organisation.
In her new role, Ciara will lead and grow the Data Protection and Privacy offering in the firm's Dublin office, at a time of rapid change across the data protection and privacy landscape in the Irish as well as the global market. She will also be part of the firm's global Privacy & Data practice and work closely with her counterparts across Fieldfisher's international network. The team, comprising 36 lawyers worldwide, is a recognised market leader in the data and privacy field, regularly working on global privacy projects and GDPR compliance, helping clients navigate an increasingly complex and fast-changing compliance and regulatory landscape.
Speaking on the appointment, Fieldfisher Ireland Managing Partner JP McDowell said, "This is an exciting time for Fieldfisher as we continue on our ambitious growth trajectory. I am delighted to welcome Ciara to the firm. Ciara brings a wealth of experience working with tech and social media companies that I’m sure will prove invaluable in her work with our clients."
Ciara Burke, speaking on her appointment, said, "Fieldfisher has an incredible reputation in the Irish and international market and I am looking forward to building on this as Head of Data Protection and Privacy over the coming months and years. The growth of Fieldfisher in Ireland over the last number of years is testament to the great work it does for its clients, and the value it places on its teams."
Since the merger of McDowell Purcell with Fieldfisher in 2019, Fieldfisher's Dublin office has gone from strength to strength, recording 9% revenue growth in the financial year 2022/2023. The figure confirms that seizing opportunities in the local market, while collaborating with European counterparts on wider matters, produces exceptional results and will remain the key part of the Irish growth agenda. The office currently has 120 employees, whose focus stretches across the key areas of corporate and commercial law, public and regulatory, data protection and privacy, real estate, employment, litigation, technology, renewables, insolvency, and environmental and planning law.
Fieldfisher is constantly building on its multi-jurisdictional capacity and capability in Europe, at both a sector and practice area level. Most recently, in June this year, Fieldfisher opened a new office in the Austrian capital Vienna, expanding its European network to 26 offices in 12 countries.