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DLA Piper UK LLP

VICTORIA SQUARE HOUSE, VICTORIA SQUARE, BIRMINGHAM, B2 4DL, ENGLAND

Tel:: Work 02073 490 296
Fax:: Fax 0121 262 5794
DX:: 13022 BIRMINGHAM-1

Email:

Web:: www.dlapiper.com

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Gareth Stokes

Tel:: Work 0121 262 5831
Email:

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Work Department

Intellectual Property and Technology, Partner.

Position

Gareth Stokes focuses on information technology, outsourcing and intellectual property-driven contracts. His experience spans numerous complex major procurement and sourcing projects within heavily regulated industries. Most such engagements involve elements of service delivery on-shore, with other elements delivered further afield, whether near shore within the newer EU Member States or offshore in India, China and emerging economies. These projects tend to involve innovative contractual structures, including joint venture arrangements, multi-level framework and call off structures, trust arrangements and other multi-contract arrangements. Advising Allied Irish Banks on various business-critical ITO and BPO deals, including the outsourcing of its hosting & storage, networks and security operations functions; advising Equiniti Paymaster as the selected private sector partner on the outsourced services elements of the MyCSP mutual joint venture to deliver civil service pensions; advising various major UK high-street banks (including Barclays, LBG and HSBC) on a wide range of IT and sourcing issues, including complex trusts arrangements in the context of the outsourcing of card processing for co-branded credit cards; advising a number of Government departments on austerity savings measures in their key IT outsourcing contracts totalling over £4 billion over 5 years; advising a major global pharmaceutical company on a wide range of ITO, BPO and brand disposal activities (manufacturing lines, regulatory consents, IP portfolios).

Career

Wragge & Co, qualified 2003. Made partner at DLA Piper 2015.

Languages

English.

Education

St. Bede’s, Blackburn and St. Mary’s College, Blackburn; University of Warwick, Bachelor of Laws, 1998; Nottingham Law School, Legal Practice Course, 1999.

Leisure

Cinema, gadgets, hiking, skiing.

West Midlands: TMT (technology, media and telecoms)

IT and telecoms

Within: IT and telecoms

DLA Piper UK LLP's specialist team has leading market knowledge of IT contracting issues in the financial services sector. Led by 'highly skilled, down-to-earth and results driven' practice head Gareth Stokes, the firm's clients include those from the financial, insurance and life sciences sector. Recently promoted partner Phillip Kelly worked with Stokes on a dispute arising from a global sourcing contract, while Richard Taylor has a particular sector focus in technology, life sciences and manufacturing.

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Intellectual property

Within: Intellectual property

DLA Piper UK LLP handles contentious and non-contentious trade mark, patent and other IP work for prominent clients across a variety of sectors including food and beverage and aerospace. The team, led by Richard Taylor, has a 'broad spectrum of expertise', with Gareth Stokes offering expertise in IP-driven contracts and senior associate Satnam Sahota attracting praise for 'fantastic insight and support'.

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DLA Piper LLP (US)

Sentencing guidelines for corporate manslaughter

In February 2010 the Sentencing Guidelines Council (the SGC) issued definitive guidelines to courts on imposing appropriate sentences for corporate manslaughter and health and safety offences causing death. The SGC states that fines imposed on companies found guilty of corporate manslaughter should not fall below £500,000, while fines in respect of health and safety offences that are a significant cause of death should be at least £100,000. Crucially, the SGC declined to provide for a fixed link between the imposed fine and the turnover or profitability of the offending company. 

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