Jocelyn Ormond > Ashfords LLP > Bristol, England > Lawyer Profile

Ashfords LLP employs a multidisciplinary team in Bristol that comprises corporate, IP and commercial lawyers with expertise in TMT and telecoms work. The firm is well versed in assisting startups in the technology space as well as investment funds in the fintech and digital health industries. Practice head Chris Dyson enjoys a strong reputation for his expertise pertaining to M&A and technology investments. Venture capital and fintech transactions form part of Jocelyn Ormond‘s portfolio, while Suzie Miles sports strength in software licensing as well as IT transformation and outsourcing work. Andrew Braithwaite left the firm for an in-house position in March 2022.

The healthcare and life sciences practice at Ashfords LLP is chaired by Jocelyn Ormond and Ben Tarrant, both of whom work out of the firm’s Bristol office. Acting for a diverse client base that includes NHS trusts, private hospital operators and digital healthcare centres, the team handles a broad range of matters; property acquisitions and venture capital investments stand out as key recent areas of focus. Kirsty Cooke contributes expertise in employment and immigration matters to the team, while Katie Webber is a Court of Protection proceedings specialist. Partner Vanessa James left the firm in August 2022.

Variously praised for its ‘professionalism and responsiveness’ as well as for its ‘clear and commercial advice’, Ashfords LLP is well-versed in cross-border corporate and commercial work, particularly within the energy, consumer goods, healthcare, life sciences, and tech sectors. The team is headed up by corporate chair Rory Suggett, whose workload is concentrated in the tech and life sciences arenas. Chris Dyson, who chairs the firmwide technology offering, is regularly instructed by a diverse roster of investment funds, private equity houses, and fast-growth companies active in the sector. Bristol office head Jocelyn Ormond spearheads the firm’s healthcare and digital health practice; his recent engagements include a series of investment transactions and cross-border deals for clients operating in the health tech and cybersecurity arenas. Commercial partner Suzie Miles’ practice is concentrated in IT and fintech projects, where she acts for a number of well-known retailers, among others.

The ‘extremely responsive’ team at Bristol-based firm Ashfords LLP provides ‘strong impartial advice on “what is market”, thereby enabling principal decision makers on the investor and investee side to make commercial and sensible decisions relating to venture capital funding. While the team is best-known for acting on earlier stage financing rounds, it is also adept at handling ‘complex cross-border transactions and is able to deal with technical subjects’. Key to this work is ‘excellent technician’ Chris Dyson , who combines deep industry knowledge with commercial and legal smarts to very effectively guide innovators and funders in the technology space. Jocelyn Ormond  has a particular niche advising companies and investors in the digital health/life sciences sector. Dyson co-heads the team alongside Rory Suggett , whose investor side focus includes handling a raft of work for an impressive roster of fund clients includes the Business Growth Fund, which he regularly advises on its funding of early and growth stage companies.