Overview
Dhara Shah is an associate in the Intellectual Practice Group in the firm's Chicago office. She is a member of the firm’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Team, the Blockchain Team, and the Advertising Team.
Areas of Practice
Dhara Shah focuses her practice on data privacy and cybersecurity law, with an emphasis on comprehensive data privacy laws, including US state privacy laws and the GDPR. Dhara’s proficiency with a wide range of programming languages allows her to engage with clients’ in-house and operational teams to identify and handle the legal aspects of highly technical issues – including privacy issues in the emerging tech (web 3.0) space.
Dhara counsels clients on global data privacy and cybersecurity compliance, including the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and similar laws regulating the collection, use, and handling of data and personal information. She also assists clients with tactics and strategies to respond to security breach incidents and drafts and negotiates data use provisions, SaaS agreements, and data processing agreements. Dhara also counsels clients on sweepstakes, promotions, and related rules.
Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Dhara worked at a law firm as a privacy and cybersecurity associate, and spent a year during law school assisting with a full lifecycle CCPA implementation for an emerging tech start up in Chicago, including analyzing data protection addendums and conducting data mapping.
Insights
Articles
Privacy Law Blog Posts
- "Connecticut Fifth State to Pass a Comprehensive Privacy Law,” May 12, 2022
- “Interactive Advertising Bureau of Europe Fined by Belgian DPA for GDPR Violation,” February 24, 2022
- "Colorado AG Issues Guidance on Data Security Best Practices," February 14, 2022
- "European Commission Adopts Korean Adequacy Decision," January 6, 2022
- "Virginia Privacy Law Continues to Progress Towards 2023 Implementation," December 13, 2021
- "Google’s Privacy “Data Safety” Form Is Now Available," November 24, 2021
Blockchain Law Blog Post
- "DAO Liability and the bZx Class Action," June 15, 2022
Esports and Gaming Law Blog Post
- “Video Games, AI, and …the Law?,” April 28, 2022
Practices
Education
J.D., Loyola University Chicago, 2020, Dean's Merit Scholar
B.S. & B.A., Arizona State University (Barrett, the Honors College), 2017, Presidential Scholar; Dean's List
Admissions
- Illinois
- Arizona
- Colorado