I head the technology law team in Bristol, doing non-contentious commercial agreements for telecoms and digital business clients, including outsourcing arrangements. I also lead the firm’s data protection group across all of our offices, advising on privacy and freedom of information issues.
I give my clients practical, plain-English advice, based on what I would do if I was in their shoes. A lot of the advice is very specialist, because privacy in particular is a very complicated and developing area of law, but I know clients aren’t interested in the theory, they just want answers.
I handle global privacy issues for organisations like Dell, Motorola, Everything Everywhere and British Gas. I also work for technology suppliers and users, including iGate Patni, Lloyds TSB and Mulberry. My expertise includes guiding clients through offshore outsourcing projects, communications infrastructure arrangements, software licensing agreements, supply and procurement contracts and e-commerce business contracts.
I have a particular interest in India, having helped set up the firm’s India desk. I represent a number of Indian technology and outsourcing companies in relation to their operations in Europe and am a regular visitor to India.
In 1999 I co-wrote “The Data Protection Act, Explained”, which was published by the Stationery Office in three editions and was one of the first authoritative guides to the Act. That was the start of my interest in privacy and for the last 4 years I have been listed in the legal directories as one of the UK's leading privacy lawyers. I am also on the editorial board of the publication Data Protection Law and Policy.
I trained at Osborne Clarke, qualifying in 1996, and I became a partner in 2001.