Helen Christakos

Helen Christakos leads A&O Shearman’s U.S. Data Privacy practice and has broad experience spanning transactional, counseling and contentious matters. She is based in Silicon Valley.

Helen is widely acknowledged as an expert who provides cutting-edge legal advice by blending her privacy and data security legal experience with a business-oriented approach. She has significant experience negotiating the privacy and cybersecurity issues in M&A, private equity, financings, IPOs, SPACs, asset purchases and other commercial transactions, product counseling (developing products and services that comply with privacy and data security laws), developing privacy and security policies, and managing cybersecurity incidents and breaches.

Helen has experience representing clients ranging from emerging start-up ventures to global public companies in developing, licensing, selling, acquiring, protecting, and commercially exploiting data assets. Helen advises companies on changing and complex privacy, internet and cybersecurity laws governing the use, storage and disclosure of information.

In addition to her law practice, Helen is also an Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara University School of Law, where she developed the curriculum for and taught the school’s inaugural cybersecurity law class. She has also been ranked as one of California’s Top Cyber Lawyers by The Daily Journal from 2019-2022.