San Francisco, CA, Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright announced today that Helen Christakos has joined the firm’s renowned global privacy and cybersecurity group as a partner in the San Francisco office, growing the California presence for this important practice. Helen, who joins from A&O Shearman where she led the US Data Privacy Group, is known for her agility in representing clients in a wide range of industries on regulatory, transactional, counseling and contentious matters.
“Helen’s arrival is especially meaningful at a time when privacy, AI and cybersecurity issues continue to be top of mind for clients,” said Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbright’s Global and US Managing Partner. “Her deep experience advising companies in key sectors expands our US privacy compliance and product counseling offering and complements our transactional capabilities through sophisticated privacy, AI and cyber due diligence. Helen also enhances our rapidly growing AI group, where data governance and responsible innovation are central client concerns.”
Helen has represented companies ranging from emerging startup ventures to global public companies in addressing privacy, AI and security issues in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, financing, IPOs and other commercial transactions. She regularly advises on privacy considerations arising from product and service development and launches as well as data governance frameworks that support innovation while meeting evolving regulatory requirements.
In addition, Helen routinely advises clients on a wide range of commercial agreements, including drafting and negotiating licensing and other commercial contracts with a focus on data-centric deals. Her practice also includes developing and enhancing privacy, cybersecurity and AI governance policies tailored to evolving legal and industry standards. She also advises companies responding to cyber incidents and data breaches, helping them navigate regulatory obligations and incident response strategy.
“Helen joins a global cybersecurity and privacy team that is more than 135 lawyers strong, unified by the mission of helping clients manage rapidly escalating cyber and privacy risks,” said Chris Cwalina, Norton Rose Fulbright’s Global Head of Cybersecurity and Privacy. “Her robust experience as a privacy lawyer is a powerful complement to our practice, broadening our ability to advise clients across the full data risk lifecycle—from privacy compliance and product development through incident response and regulatory scrutiny.”
Helen is licensed in California and the District of Columbia and is a registered foreign lawyer in England and Wales. She received her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree from Cambridge University and a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College. Helen speaks French, German and Greek.
“Norton Rose Fulbright’s integrated approach to privacy, AI and cybersecurity—particularly its ability to support clients on product counseling and complex transactions—creates an exceptional platform for me to grow my practice and made joining the firm an easy decision,” Helen said. “The San Francisco office has a culture of teamwork and shared purpose that aligns closely with how I practice. Working alongside such a well-established cohesive team with support from global colleagues with deep industry insight positions us to deliver practical, focused solutions to clients navigating today’s most complex challenges.”
Norton Rose Fulbright’s global privacy and cybersecurity group is an integrated, international team helping clients holistically manage legal and regulatory risks related to cybersecurity, privacy, AI, information governance and eDiscovery on a global scale. With more than 135 lawyers advising clients in approximately 120 jurisdictions, the group works as a unified team to deliver practical, risk-focused guidance to clients navigating the complex regulatory and legal environments in which they do business. These lawyers also regularly act as cyber response counsel and lead the investigation and response to large-scale sophisticated cybersecurity incidents.
Norton Rose Fulbright
Norton Rose Fulbright provides a full scope of legal services to the world’s preeminent corporations and financial institutions. The global law firm has more than 3,000 lawyers advising clients across more than 50 locations worldwide, including Houston, New York, London, Toronto, Mexico City, Hong Kong and Sydney, covering the United States, Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. With its global business principles of quality, unity and integrity, Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized for its client service in key industries, including financial institutions; energy, infrastructure and resources; technology; transport; life sciences and healthcare; and consumer markets. For more information, visit nortonrosefulbright.com.
- Norton Rose Fulbright – Helen Christakos