England - London • TMT (technology, media and telecoms)
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IT and telecoms

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Baker Botts (UK) LLP

More information
Baker Botts (UK) LLP fields a considerable workload, notably handling digital infrastructure projects pertaining to data centers and towers, fiber networks, and subsea cables. Stuart Blythe is lauded as ‘attentive and timely’ and is often engaged in commercial agreements, M&A, and restructurings. Costa Smith is commended by clients as ’extremely professional, diligent, and a delight to work with.’
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The Baker Botts team helped us on an extremely difficult international transaction with a very complicated operating structure. Their commercial and practical guidance during the process allowed for a strategic discussion take place.’
  • ‘Baker Botts continues to keep up to date with issues that are new and relevant to our business and industry. In an industry such as telecommunications, innovation is continual and it is incredibly important that we don't fall behind or allow ourselves to get outmanoeuvred.'
  • ‘The team is comprised of a diverse mix of gender and ethnicity; each member I have dealt with is very professional and accomplished in their respective sphere.’
  • 'They assign the right individuals to the task at hand. The level of advice and dedication has consistently been above and beyond our expectations and orders of magnitude better than similar services received from smaller firms. The team collaborates amongst themselves and they reach out to colleagues on a global basis as needed.'
  • ‘The team we interact with at Baker Botts is under partner Stuart Blythe. He and his colleagues are simply amazing. I personally engage with them for matters regarding different entities - from telecoms (subsea), blue ocean ventures, and philanthropic / charitable matters.'
  • ‘Stuart Blythe is easy to work with, attentive, timely, knowledgeable, and prepared in terms of the subject matter. He is a great addition to our team when negotiating, and he understands the dynamic and the goals of our company well enough that he can lead when needed, or quietly support from the rear.’
  • ‘Stuart Blythe is not only an exceptional lawyer but also an incredible individual who cares about his customers and the relationships he builds with them. His leadership is felt throughout his team; focusing on what matters most and providing the appropriate legal advice.'
  • 'Costa Smith has been incredibly responsive, providing hugely invaluable advice that has been both accurate and informative; allowing us to make well-informed decisions. He is also extremely professional, diligent, and a delight to work with.'

Key clients

  • West Indian Ocean Cable Company Holding Ltd (WIOCC Group)
  • Crosslake Group
  • EllaLink Ireland Limited
  • SubOptic Limited
  • Mobile TeleSystems (MTS)
  • Cinturion
  • Connect Fibre
  • Macquarie
  • Xtera
  • Gibtelecom Limited

Work highlights

Advised WIOCC Group on a joint venture with Texaf SA to build and operate the first “carrier-neutral” data centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Advised Crosslake Group on various contract negotiations for the provision of connectivity services.
Advised EllaLink Ireland on commercial agreements on the EllaLink cable system, including additional branch builds.

Lawyers

Practice head

Stuart Blythe

Other key lawyers

Costa Smith

Comparative Guides