Deirdre Kilroy

I am an experienced Irish lawyer. I specialise in complex technology, data and IP transactions, and advise innovative clients on the laws and regulations applicable to related products and services offered in Ireland and other parts of the European Union.

I relish playing a meaningful role in our clients' projects, collaborating to ensure that their products and transactions achieve their commercial objectives, while complying with legal obligations. As I have many years' experience advising technology companies and innovative organisations doing business in Ireland, I often act as lead Irish counsel on multi-jurisdictional projects, cross-border contracts, and legal analysis of new products or services. Clients appreciate the pragmatic, calm and commercial approach I take to tasks.

I advise on the regulation of technology, gaming and gambling, consumer goods and services sold digitally, content and data-rich industries in Ireland. I am particularly focused on artificial intelligence, robotics, social media, m/e commerce, big data, digital supply chain, and 'frontier' technologies. Clients in these sectors value the help I give them in modelling legal relationships, and in applying appropriate weighting to their regulatory obligations.

My practice involves advising clients on the data protection and privacy obligations arising in their transactions, in respect of their employees, and the goods and services that they offer for sale in Ireland and other parts of the EU. I have extensive experience analysing a party's roles and responsibilities and determining how best to comply with the consequent GDPR and Irish laws in contracts, policies, products and services. Where a cyber security incident or data breach occurs, I help clients to see the big picture, and to sensibly manage the legal risks, contract performance issues, regulator interactions, insurance obligations and other breach concerns.

I also help clients to proactively manage conflicts, disputes, investigations and regulatory obligations involving technology, data, AI or IP assets, and related contracts.

I am a member of the Intellectual Property & Data Protection Committee of the Irish Law Society, a founding leader of the Irish chapter of ChIPs, and a member of the AI forum and data working group of Technology Ireland. I am a member of the Society for Computers & Law and an external lecturer for the Law Society of Ireland.

• Technology – Advising a search engine global operator understand the Irish consumer, intellectual property and data protection laws applicable to a new search engine product. Drafting appropriate contract terms to deal with the legal obligations identified.
• Technology – Advising a global operator on the Irish consumer, intellectual property and data protection laws applicable to a new consumer facing content service, which delivered both the client's content and third-party content. Localising the terms and conditions for use in Ireland.
• Technology – Advising a global technology provider on a range of outsourcing and digital transformation projects, and related contracts.
• Data Protection & Privacy– Advising an insurer on the data protection and confidentiality obligations applicable to a suite of innovative products and services, including through use of the digital data gathered from insureds and others. Drafting and negotiating related terms in intermediary and insured contracts.
• Gaming and Gambling – Advising an esports client on the Irish gaming and gambling laws applicable to their product suite and assisting them to "tweak" their product structures to reduce risk, maintain product integrity while still complying with gaming, gambling, consumer, data protection and other mandatory Irish laws.

• Intellectual Property – Assisting a global alcoholic drinks client to enter into an appropriate global settlement agreement with another global alcoholic drinks client in respect of prevention of a product launch and use of trademarks on a worldwide basis.
• Technology – Assisting a global platform deal with unauthorised use of digital copyright materials, breach of contract, and breach of trade secret rights related to their data centre. Our client did not wish to litigate so I helped them achieve their objectives through an appropriate settlement agreement.
• Technology – Assisting a gambling client in connection with a screen-scraping entity, Preparing and advising on cease & desist letters, enforcement of online contracts and consequent settlement agreements.
• FMCG – advising a cosmetic company on the issues associated with the enforcement of consumer protection rights in Ireland by the CCPC.
• Data Protection – Assisting a client deal with the fall out of a ransomware attack on its core systems. Helping the client to notify the Data Protection Commission and to deal with its queries and requirements. Identifying breach and performance issues for material contracts arising from the cyber security incident and assisting the board of directors manage these issues.