Bird & Bird LLP‘s TMT offering is trifurcated into a tech transactions group, a media, entertainment and sport group, and a tech and communications group, advising clients on all manner of transactional, regulatory, and contentious matters, including copyright infringement litigation before the High Court. Each group has its own partner who leads the overall offering at the firm. Ronald Hendrikx specialises in communication projects across the public and private sector, with a particular flair for invention and development of client products. Mark Leach specialises in large-scale technology and business process outsourcing. Andrew Danson focuses on gambling and sports, and coordinates multijurisdictional regulatory advice. Phil Sherrell is a go-to name for litigation matters with a track record in high-profile disputes, while Kimberly Wells advises on complex, strategic technology and communications projects.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Great experience across the team means we can call on lawyers at different levels of qualification to support our needs as required. The team are very experienced, able to advise effectively and join the dots on all issues to ensure that subject matter experts are engaged across the firm, where required. They have been able to navigate a complex regulatory framework to provide effective and practical solutions in a timely and confident manner. I have been able to rely on the team as an extension of my in-house team with ease and confidence.’

  • 'Simon Shooter - Demonstrates incredible experience in field of cybersecurity.'
  • ‘The team has standout expertise that straddles copyright/IP and commercial licensing.’

  • ‘The team we deal with there are exceptional lawyers, and all have brilliant people skills. Phil Sherrell - extremely knowledgeable but also accessible and available. We love Phil's innovative approach to client service and billing.'

  • 'Louise O'Hara - astounding depth of knowledge for her level of experience, but also brilliant on the detail.'

  • ‘Strong knowledge of market standard and flexibility on fees to allow visibility over legal costs.’

  • ‘Ability to summarise and simplify complex legal points into plain English, particularly to non-lawyers thorough use of examples, analogies.'

Key clients

  • Activision Blizzard
  • Allwyn
  • Epic Games
  • Football Association
  • Guinness Six Nations Rugby
  • Macquarie Bank
  • Nando’s
  • Nokia
  • TikTok
  • TuneIn, Inc.
  • UK Radioplayer

Work highlights

  • Acting for TuneIn in the litigation brought against them by Sony Music and Warner Music.
  • Acting for the Nokia group in two UK High Court claims for a declaration that the terms and conditions offered by Nokia to its patents are fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory.
  • Advised Allywn on the negotiation of multiple outsourcing contracts, including with SGI, Vodafone, and Elsym.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Ronald Hendrikx, Mark Leach, Andy Danson

Other key lawyers

Phil Sherril, Kimberley Wells, Simon Shooter, Louise O'Hara