Timothy Shields

That is the easiest way to describe how I work. I spent a long stretch of my career in software development before I went to law school, and that background shapes how I think about every problem on my desk. When a SaaS founder walks me through their architecture or a creator describes a platform's terms, I am not translating from a foreign language.

My practice sits at the intersection of technology and the people building with it. I focus on three audiences in particular.

For technology and SaaS companies, the work is contracts, data privacy, AI, intellectual property, and the operating posture that enterprise customers and regulators are actually asking to see. The questions tend to be about what the product is allowed to do with customer data, which regulatory regimes reach which data flows, and how to write commitments that hold up in a security questionnaire and an FTC inquiry alike.

For creators, athletes, and influencers, the work is brand deals, platform terms, intellectual property, name and likeness rights, and the contracts that determine how someone's work travels. I am also a registered NFL agent, which has the same shape as the rest of my practice: people whose income and identity are bound up in legal arrangements they did not write, who need someone who can read both the contract and the room.

For health and wellness brands operating in the regulated digital space, the work is substantiation of claims, where HIPAA does and does not apply, and the state health privacy laws that increasingly reach beyond their stated borders. The FTC, FDA, and state regulators all care about what these brands say and store, and getting that right is operational, not theoretical.

Beyond the ongoing advisory work, I also handle intellectual property and technology due diligence on transactions where the underlying value is software, data, or brand. That work is the mirror image of the rest of the practice: instead of advising the company through the year, I help a buyer, seller, or investor understand what the company actually owns and what risks come with it.

Education

• LL.M., Intellectual Property University of New Hampshire
• J.D., summa cum laude, Valedictorian Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law
• Ed.D., Organizational Leadership Nova Southeastern University
• M.S., Computer Information Systems Nova Southeastern University
• M.A., Higher Education Administration University of Central Florida
• B.S., Honors Program University of Central Florida

Certifications

• Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US)
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
• Advanced certifications, Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw

Get in touch

The easiest way to reach me is by email at tshields@technically.law. Nothing on this site is legal advice, and writing to me does not create an attorney-client relationship.