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Technology Law Alliance ‘understands what IT clients do and can provide relevant advice and experience’. The team advised Firstsource on a major telecoms sector outsourcing, and also acted for Columbus IT and Postcode Anywhere. Jagvinder Kang ‘listens, understands and delivers the message in business English’, while Stephen Ollerenshaw is ‘focused, commercial, and pragmatic; he gets things done’.

Wragge & Co LLP is ‘absolutely excellent – response times are always in the timescales promised and advice is pragmatic’. The team advised BP on consolidating its contract for IT services. Sally Mewies has ‘unsurpassed knowledge in the UK and US, the most exceptional ability to think laterally, and is a tough but adaptable negotiator’.

Simon Jones’ team at DLA Piper UK LLP has a central government and financial services focus, acting for clients such as the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Barclays. The team advised the NHS on renegotiating its arrangement with Computer Sciences regarding the National Programme for IT.

Eversheds LLP’s Charlotte Walker-Osborn is ‘very thorough, and punches well above her experience’. The team acted for Mitchells & Butlers Retail on its reprocurement of outsourced data, telecoms and computing services, and advised a leading life assurance company on negotiating an actuarial system.

Martineau acts for Rackspace, one of the largest website hosting companies, on day-to-day issues, and recently advised it on a new suite of service contracts. It also represented Desi Mobile on contractual and legal matters leading up to its launch. Des Burley is the key contact.

Pinsent Masons LLP acts for clients such as BAA Airports, Boots and Siemens, and is noted for its experience across outsourcing deals, procurement, data protection, telecoms regulatory issues and data centre services. The team ‘provides solid commercial support’, with Jonathan Fell singled out as a ‘persuasive negotiator who knows his stuff’.

Shakespeares continued to act for longstanding clients such as Logica, while gaining significant resources in the East Midlands through the merger with Berryman and winning impressive new clients such as LG. The ‘commercial’ Andrew Hartshorn is ‘astute, and very experienced in IT/outsourcing’.

At Squire Sanders Hammonds, Stuart James ‘demonstrates fantastic skill/ experience in contractual negotiations’. The firm advised longstanding client National Grid on its acquisition of a new electricity balancing system, and picked up new clients such as Game Group.

Browne Jacobson LLP advised Thorntons on a new outsourcing arrangement, and acts for clients such as Amcor Group, Staffordshire County Council and Mace Group. Richard Nicholas is ‘pragmatic and friendly, and has very good sector knowledge’.

Wright Hassall LLP handles a significant amount of work for Capgemini UK, and counts Board MIT, ITC Infotech and Q Associates as clients. Lindsay Ellis heads the team.

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Legal Developments in the UK

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