Mr Michael Bywell > Stephenson Harwood > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Stephenson Harwood Offices
1 FINSBURY CIRCUS
LONDON
EC2M 7SH
England
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Mr Michael Bywell
Work Department
Commercial Litigation
Position
Those clients include: global technology providers/suppliers based in the UK, North America, France and New Zealand; purchasers of technology products and services (including financial institutions and telecoms companies); app developers; and on-line traders.
Notable cases include representing EDS (as was) in relation to its high- profile dispute with HMRC over the performance of a new IT system to process tax credits in the UK. Michael represented the same client in a large and complex High Court case against a listed travel company which, at the time, was one of the largest IT cases to come before the English courts.
More recent cases include purchaser side advisory and dispute resolution advice in relation to a major digital transformation programme in the financial services sector.
Michael also advises in relation to: software licensing disputes; protecting IP owners from illegal use of their products by third parties; and forensic investigations into the theft of confidential information by third parties.
In the data breach area, Michael has considerable UK and international experience of civil litigation arising from alleged breaches of data protection legislation litigation including two substantial representative class actions filed in the English courts.
Michael is qualified in England & Wales, Australia and New Zealand. He Chairs the ITechLaw Disputes Committee and, in 2019, co-wrote the Society for Computers and Law Adjudication Scheme. He is also a panel adjudicator for that scheme.
Recent speaking engagements include data breach presentations to audiences in the UK and Australia (including in-house legal departments) and several webinars on Online Safety and Digital Services legislation in the UK and the EU respectively.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
The widely lauded team at Stephenson Harwood is described as ‘really experienced and technically excellent’ by one client, with the practice fielding particular strength in cross-border disputes. Large corporate, joint venture, and partnership disputes across the energy, financial services, shipping, aviation, and real estate sectors are mainstays of the practice. At leadership level, ‘knowledgeable’ head of team Richard Garcia routinely ‘seeks to go the extra miles for his clients’. ‘Force of nature’ Sue Millar is a key name to note, as are ‘absolute star’ Genevieve Quierin and ‘extremely clever and astute’ Stephen Ashley, with Millar recognised for her impressive sanctions-related expertise. The team has grown significantly with the arrival with Dan Smith from Latham & Watkins in June 2022, Michael Bywell from Hausfeld & Co LLP in January 2023, and Peter Dalton from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP in February 2023.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- Dispute resolution > Commodities disputes
- Corporate and commercial > Equity capital markets – small-mid cap
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Investment fund formation and management > Listed funds
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Employment > Pensions: dispute resolution
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Transport > Rail
Firm Rankings
- Transport > Aviation
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: contentious
- Dispute resolution > Group litigation: Claimant
- Employment > Pensions (non-contentious)
- Insurance > Professional negligence
- Transport > Shipping
- Finance > Trade finance
- Finance > Transport finance and leasing
- Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Employment > Employers
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious)
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- Industry focus > Life sciences and healthcare
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Lower Mid-Market Deals, £100m-£750m
- Corporate and commercial > Private equity: transactions - mid-market deals (up to £250m)
- Real estate > Property litigation
- Dispute resolution > Public international law
- Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates)
- Employment > Senior executives
- Corporate and commercial > VAT and indirect tax
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- Real estate > Construction: contentious
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate tax
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Employment > Employee share schemes
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Infrastructure: Project finance and development
- Insurance > Insurance and reinsurance litigation
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Oil and gas
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables)
- Real estate > Property finance
- Investment fund formation and management > Real estate funds
- Public sector > Administrative and public law
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- Insurance > Insurance: corporate and regulatory
- Investment fund formation and management > Private funds
- Finance > Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers