Codified Legal > Birmingham, England > Firm Profile
Codified Legal Offices
COLMORE PLAZA, 20 COLMORE CIRCUS
QUEENSWAY
BIRMINGHAM
B4 6AT
England
- Go to...
- Rankings
- Firm Profile
- Lawyer Profiles
Codified Legal > The Legal 500 Rankings
TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms Tier 2
Providing a ‘high-quality, client-focused service’, Codified Legal‘s specialist expertise involves major IT projects and outsourcing contracts. Its clients range from technology providers to software development companies, supporting such clients with issues that include contracts for systems and data protection, amongst others. The ‘incredibly knowledgeable’ Stephen Ollerenshaw leads the practice, with key expertise in offshore and pan-European outsourcing projects, alongside IT and outsourcing contract negotiations. Specialist corporate lawyer Barry Doherty and consultant Conan Chitham strengthen the practice.Practice head(s):
Stephen Ollerenshaw
Other key lawyers:
Barry Doherty; Conan Chitham
Testimonials
‘Codified Legal is a specialist firm run by outstanding individuals with enormous amounts of experience, who are able to provide a high-quality, client-focused service at a very reasonable cost.’
‘Steve Ollerenshaw is incredibly knowledgeable and makes complex issues digestible.’
‘Steve Ollerenshaw is easy to work with, accessible and knows exactly which points to negotiate. There is no one I would rather work with.’
‘A boutique firm with an exceptional depth of knowledge in the IT field.’
‘Extremely practical and pragmatic, they make a virtue of their small size to avoid overloading advice and fees with unnecessary elements, which makes them flexible and highly valuable.’
‘ Steve Ollerenshaw has a wealth of experience in IT transactions.’
‘They take a hands-on approach and create a seamless connection with the in-house legal team, which makes them extremely easy and low-friction to deal with.’
Key clients
Broadridge
Aker Systems
EPAM Systems
Draycir
Promotigo
Sitenna
LettsVentures
Klarus Global
Bryt Energy
Cloudreach
Atos UK Limited
Work highlights
- Advised Broadridge, a global Fintech leader, on contracts for software and outsourced services with major banks and other financial institutions in the UK and worldwide.
- Advised Cloudreach, a world-leading cloud services reseller, on contracts with blue-chip customers including a major UK newspaper group, a Swiss health insurance company and one of the world’s largest energy companies.
- Advised Bryt Energy, a Midlands-based renewable energy company, on the negotiation of a contract for the supply of hosted IT services relating to core systems that communicate with the digital spine of the UK energy industry.
TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms Tier 3
Specialist firm Codified Legal focuses on IT projects and outsourcing contracts for major service providers, such as Hitachi Vantara and Spirent Communications, to name a couple. The practice advises its roster of clients on e-commerce, data protection, IP and related HR matters. Jeremy Newton, who deals with commercial contracts and data protection issues, jointly leads the team alongside Gavin Wakefield, who advises on outsourcing-related projects. Shazanna Safdar-Karim has extensive IP experience and is another key contact in the group.Practice head(s):
Jeremy Newton; Gavin Wakefield
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Jeremy Newton is excellent.’
‘Codified Law provided exceptionally strong specialist advice in IT provider contracts. The firm is responsive and grounded in reality with a strong commercial sense when negotiating IT contracts.’
‘Jeremy Newton is a standout partner and our ‘go to’ person for everything related to IT provider contracts. Precision and exceptional commercial sense – derived from in depth experience in the field.’
‘Sector knowledge and experience.’
‘Codified Legal bring a very pragmatic approach. They work with vendors and customers, so bring a balanced perspective of what the key clauses are in a contract and where to negotiate. They are a small firm but well versed in the IT arena.’
‘Jeremy Newton stands out for his approach in bringing clarity and clear structure to all assignments. His documentation is produced to a high quality with a purpose of reducing ambiguity.’
Key clients
Broadridge
Hitachi Vantara
Ping Identity
Health Value Alliance
The Kennel Club
Busuu
Mintec
Precisely
Spirent Communications
Meta Team Limited
Work highlights
- Advised Hitachi Vantara, a leading provider of data management solutions, on major contracts to provide outsourced IT and professional services to financial services businesses and telecoms companies around Europe.
- Advised Broadridge on the drafting and negotiation of contracts for software and outsourced services with leading banks and other financial institutions throughout the world.
- Advised Health Value Alliance on a multi-party Collaboration Agreement involving insurance companies, healthcare providers and academic institutions operating in the field of cancer care and treatment.
Codified Legal > Firm Profile
The firm: Codified Legal was founded in January 2003 (originally under the name Technology Law Alliance), with the aim of providing high-quality, cost-effective legal advice in its core areas of IT contracts, outsourcing, data protection and e-commerce. As a true niche practice, clients appreciate the level of direct partner involvement, and the firm is now ranked as one of the leading specialist law firms by both The Legal 500 and Chambers.
The firm’s client list encompasses both service providers and customer organisations. On the service provider side, it advises the entire spectrum of business from start-ups to ‘Tier 1’ global suppliers, and works on some of the biggest outsourcing deals in the United Kingdom. On the customer side, the firm provides advice on IT and outsourcing contracts to organisations in a wide range of sectors, including asset management and financial services, automotive, insurance, entertainment, retail, pharmaceuticals, energy and logistics.
The firm has a reputation for giving practical advice, and maintaining a friendly and collaborative negotiating style. Most of its people have worked either as in-house lawyers or on long-term secondments with in-house legal teams, so it understands the importance of concentrating on the goal of getting contracts to signature, as opposed to focusing on legal minutiae and point-scoring.
Types of work undertaken
IT contracts: Codified Legal advises on the full range of IT contracts, from simple software licences through to major IT systems procurements. The firm is at the forefront of innovations in the technology sector, such as the movement to Software as a Service contracts, cloud computing and contracts for the development of mobile apps.
Outsourcing: Codified Legal has advised service providers and customers on hundreds of outsourcing projects, from traditional IT outsourcing deals (eg for data centres, storage, support or development services) through to broader business process outsourcing (BPO) contracts for functions like finance and administration, HR and payroll, often with an offshore or international dimension.
Data protection: privacy and data protection issues are increasingly high on the corporate agenda, and the firm has extensive experience of helping companies negotiate the pitfalls of data protection law, both in the context of outsourcing and offshoring negotiations, and more generally in their day-to-day operations.
E-commerce: Codified Legal helps a range of companies with the legal issues associated with their e-commerce activities, from household names looking to augment traditional business with online activities to innovative pure-play e-commerce start-ups. It has particular expertise in online terms and conditions, website compliance and data protection issues.
Start-ups and company law: the firm offers a tailored service for start-up businesses, called the Codified Tech Hub, to support entrepreneurs and innovative new businesses. The service uses senior business lawyers with demonstrable experience at partner and board level, who can advise on the initial set-up of your business, provide cost-effective support as it matures through organic growth or acquisition, and deal with the legal aspects of a disposal or other exit. We also advise mature IT businesses on company law matters and corporate transactions, including company formations, general company law compliance and corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, management buy-outs and buy-ins, restructuring, joint ventures and shareholders’ agreements.
Other offices: Birmingham
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Barry Doherty | Barry has practised in the field of corporate law for over 20… | View Profile | |
Stephen Ollerenshaw | Stephen is a director and co-founder of Codified Legal (formerly known as… | View Profile |