Paul Jones > Farrer & Co > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Farrer & Co
66 LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
LONDON
WC2A 3LH
England

Living Wage

Work Department

Intellectual Property

Position

Paul Jones is a commercial contracts expert with an exceptional track record of delivering complex, business-critical projects for high-profile clients operating in the worlds of media, sport, education and culture.

A dedicated contracts expert, Paul specialises in advising on contract law and in undertaking work related to a wide variety of commercial contracts across both the public and private sectors.

His client base spans a broad range of industries and features large blue-chip organisations, as well as high-profile household names. He has particular expertise in acting for international media and publishing companies, sports governing bodies, schools and universities and internationally recognised cultural institutions.

Paul manages large, transformational projects for clients, and typically where the commercial contracts underpin business critical infrastructure changes or complex, large-scale transactions. These are some of the core contracts that enable the way these organisations operate. He regularly advises on supply, agency, distribution and services contracts, business process outsourcing (BPO), IT and technology contracts as well contractual joint ventures, collaborations and other strategic alliances. He has notable experience of broadcast, licensing, acquisition, publishing, exhibition and sponsorship contracts within all of this.

To complement his work and advice on the contracts being awarded, Paul also has significant expertise in advising on public and private sector procurement processes (including compliance, in the public sector, with the public procurement regime).

Paul develops close relationships with his clients and enjoys the privilege and responsibility of becoming part of the team helping to deliver some of the most challenging and exciting phases of their growth and development. Alongside his own technical expertise, clients benefit from Paul’s skill in project-managing the work across typically more than one key contract and coordinating teams of experts from across the firm to resource complex projects often featuring elements of employment, corporate or charity law. 

Working as he does with many in-house teams Paul is closely attuned to the needs of, and pressures put upon, in-house lawyers. He co-ordinates and runs regular training and update sessions for in-house lawyers, spanning the likes of contract, employment, information and corporate law, as well as themes such as litigation, governance, compliance and regulation. He plays an active role in the wider legal sector and is a member of the Professional Publishers Association (PPA), the Society of Computers and Law (SCL) and the Procurement Lawyers’ Association; as well as a regular speaker at events for the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) and the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA).

Within the firm, Paul supports his colleagues through his role in the firm’s graduate recruitment programme, amongst a range of other responsibilities.

Career

Trained at Farrer & Co and qualified in 2002; made a partner in 2011.

Memberships

Procurement Lawyers Association; Society for Computers and Law

Education

Keble College, Oxford and Nottingham Law School.

Lawyer Rankings

London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Theatre, publishing and other media

Farrer & Co demonstrates deep expertise in publishing matters and is a go-to advisor for leading news organisations such as the Telegraph Media Group, and academic publishers like SAGE publications, among other print and digital publishers. Practice head Paul Jones is the main contact for commercial matters, handling digitisation and contractual matters; the latter is an area in which IP and commercial expert David Morgan further excels, in addition to his broadcasting and advertising acumen. Also an established individual, Henry Sainty focuses on digital strategy and digital market regulation, commercial partnerships and data protection issues; he also assists clients in the sports sector with media issues.

London > Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts

Farrer & Co is an established advisor to high-profile UK bodies and businesses, with notable matters such as constructing the sustainability partnership agreements between National Parks Partnership and BMW, with the aim of developing electric charging infrastructure. Beyond its reputable sport related work, the firm also acts on a number of mandates relating to art and culture, media and publishing, education and technology, with team head Paul Jones overseeing joint ventures, supply and distribution arrangements in all these areas. Whilst possessing broad expertise, David Copping has primarily been active in pharmaceutical, care and hospitality matters. Associates Antonia Lyne and David Morgan also come recommended, supporting a range of practice mandates.

London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport

Steered by Tom Bruce, Farrer & Co‘s sports team regularly advises a diverse mix of high-profile sports clients on a range of corporate, commercial and governance matters, such as regulatory instructions, joint ventures and structuring international sporting events. Bruce regularly handles this workload with the support of India Benjamin. Katie Fudakowski is the key contact for several governing bodies seeking assistance with investigations and reviews into safeguarding and employment matters, as well as compliance mandates. Owen O’Rorke focuses on overlapping commercial, IP and data matters for such clients, while Julian Pike is a go-to contentious media and sports practitioner, advising sports teams, governing bodies and individuals on all manner of disputes. Henry Sainty, David Hunt and Paul Jones are further key names to note. Kate Allass is particularly recommended for her capabilities in high-profile disputes.

London > Public sector > Education: schools

As a ‘leading light in the field of education and schools‘, Farrer & Co works with a diverse client base that encompasses independent schools and associations and offers ‘pioneering guidance in areas such as safeguarding and EDI‘. In addition to its widely recognised safeguarding expertise, the team is also well-equipped to handle cross-border commercial matters, with lawyers regularly advising on partnerships and school openings, mergers, and trade marks. Increasingly, the firm also assists clients with their attempts to challenge the results of ISI and Ofsted inspections. Practice head Jonathan Eley often advises on high-profile employment matters, including strike action and crisis management, and frequently works with vastly experienced safeguarding specialist David Smellie, employment lawyer Alice Yandle, and former barrister Katie Fudakowski to handle complex safeguarding, SEN, and equality issues. Sam Macdonald continues to be a highly recommended specialist for restructuring and governance matters, and Paul Jones is a key contact for commerical contracts and partnerships. Maria Strauss is particularly noted for her expertise in safeguarding investigations.