Ian De Freitas > Farrer & Co > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Farrer & Co Offices
66 LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
LONDON
WC2A 3LH
England
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Ian De Freitas
Work Department
Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Information and Data
Position
Partner
Career
Ian has over twenty-five years’ experience as a litigator in resolving disputes for clients in a wide range of sectors. In particular, he specialises in disputes involving intellectual property, technology and data. More recently, he has used his experience of dealing with risk to assist clients in achieving compliance with the stricter standards of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Memberships
Ian is a past President of the Intellectual Property Commission of the Union Internationale des Avocats, an international association of mainly private practice lawyers.
Education
The University of Manchester, Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)
Lawyer Rankings
London > Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
Acting for clients in the education, sport, and media sectors, Farrer & Co handles compliance, data retention queries, and data transfers. Henry Sainty leads the team, which also includes Ian De Freitas, head of data disputes, and Owen O’Rorke, whose practice spans both contentious and non-contentious matters. Associate David Morgan is recommended for marketing and adtech compliance advice. Jeremy Isaacson, a freedom of information specialist, and data litigator Tom Rudkin were promoted to partner in 2022.
London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
Farrer & Co is noted for its ability to handle IP licensing, trade mark portfolio management and copyright pre-publication advice, among others. On the litigation side, the department is particularly active in the technology, betting, sports, art and retail sectors. Co-lead Peter Wienand maintains a strong non-contentious practice, routinely operating strategic or organisational change projects for IP-centred businesses, while Ian De Freitas heads the IP disputes team, with notable experience in branding and copyright cases. Owen O’Rorke assists clients with IP work and brand issues, and David Copping focuses has experience in the media, technology, culture and higher education arenas.
London > Dispute resolution > International arbitration
Farrer & Co acts in significant disputes involving parties from across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Far East, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean. Its core focus is commercial arbitration, but it also houses experts in investor-state arbitration, art-related matters, and sports disputes. The practice is also increasingly active in marine construction and shipping matters. Hendrik Puschmann leads the group, which comprises sports disputes specialist Kate Allass, construction expert Edward Banyard Smith, and commercial disputes partner Ian De Freitas.
Lawyer Rankings
- Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms)
- Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity London > Risk advisory
- International arbitration London > Dispute resolution
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Agriculture and estates
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Public sector > Education: schools
- Private client > Family
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Theatre, publishing and other media
- Corporate and commercial > Partnership
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Real estate > Residential property
- Employment > Senior executives
Firm Rankings
- Public sector > Education: institutions
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Investment fund formation and management > Retail funds
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Employment > Employers
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Employment > Immigration
- Real estate > Property litigation
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- Real estate > Planning
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Real estate > Property finance
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration