Shoosmiths LLP

Craig Armstrong

Craig is a partner within Shoosmiths’ IT & Tech team with over 20 years of experience within the technology sector.  Craig advises both customers and suppliers on a wide range of FinTech, IT and sourcing matters across a wide range of industry sectors, with a particular focus on the telecoms, financial services, manufacturing and retail sectors. Craig's diverse experience includes negotiating IT system integration agreements, SaaS-delivered platforms, infrastructure and desktop outsourcings, ERP and CRM system procurements, complex IT-centric and business process outsourcings (both onshore and offshore), negotiating software implementation, licensing and support agreements and advising on contractual arrangements relating to e-commerce trading platforms and co-branded financial services on behalf of financial institutions and retail partners. Craig also has niche expertise within financial services and regularly advises on merchant acquiring, co-branded and affinity products, customer account value added services and other commercial contracts within the financial services sector.  Craig is also the co-author of PLC and Lexis Nexis merchant acquiring and PCI DSS guidance notes for commercial lawyers. As a result of his experience, Craig is a member of Lexis Nexis’ consulting Editorial Board for TMT, working alongside other leading industry experts in this field. Craig is also the author of Lexis Nexis’ System Integration precedents and PLC’s “Special Issues in IT Outsourcing” practice note. Craig is ITIL certified, the leading global best business practice for IT Service Management. Craig's experience includes advising: • a British modern luxury automotive manufacturer on its £800m digital transformation project with TCS • two systemic European banks entering into separate long term partnering arrangements with the acquirers of their respective merchant acquiring businesses • a UK bank in respect of its white labelled digital mortgage platform arrangements with a leading mortgage platform provider • a global manufacturer in respect of the procurement and roll-out of its transformative SD-WAN network solution across over 100 global sites • a UK SD-WAN solutions provider in respect of its customer contracts and contractual arrangements with resellers in other key markets • a global intelligence, events and research group in respect of its customer data platform contractual arrangements with a market leading US provider • a FinTech betting odds solutions provider in respect of its publisher arrangements with the likes of ESPN, NBC and CBS Interactive. • a UK MNO on its £250m+ IT transformation project to create a SaaS-based new IT system • a UK MNO on the potential managed service outsourcing of its entire legacy IT and core network infrastructure to two major outsourced service providers • a UK challenger bank on the replacement of its existing contractual arrangements with a key IT supplier from a managed service model to a truly outsourced model whilst also tripling the breadth of IT services provided by the supplier to the bank

Joe Stephenson

Joe is a Partner and the Head of Shoosmiths' IT & Technology team (IT & technology | Commercial services | Shoosmiths lawyers).  Joe is also the Head of Shoosmiths' Technology Sector group (Technology | Sectors | Shoosmiths Lawyers). Joe has helped establish Shoosmiths’ IT and Technology team as one of the leading practices in the UK; winning TMT Team of the Year at the 2023 Legal Business Awards and ranked Band 1 by Legal 500 and Chambers UK Guide. The team is described as a “[t]hriving team that draws on a wealth of expertise to handle the complete range of IT matters and represents a fine choice for clients." (Chambers UK Guide). Joe is consistently ranked as a leading individual in IT and technology by UK legal directories, being described as having “the perfect balance of deep legal expertise, extensive subject area knowledge and strong negotiation and relationship-building skills” (Chambers UK Guide). Joe has extensive experience of advising on all forms of IT and technology transactions across a range of sectors, but has particular expertise in advising on large-scale transformational outsourcings and projects in the automotive, retail and financial services sector.  He is also a leading advisor on transactions involving Web3 and the Metaverse. Joe’s major recent transactions include advising: a major telecommunication provider on its £200million+ procurement of a state-of-the art, greenfield IT system; a global automotive manufacturer on various business critical IT projects, including its £50m+ next generation IT services contract and tech-enabled customer contact centre involving a full transformation program for the introduction of AI and chat bots; advising various global brands on the launch of Web3 and Metaverse projects; one of the world's largest banks on the procurement of critical IT systems and infrastructure for the operation of its new motor lending business; a global mass media company on the first generation outsourcing of its technology operations centre based in India to provide IT support and services across its entire global business; one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products on its global procurement of its customer engagement platform with one of the world’s leading providers, as well as other cutting edge technology projects involving AR and social retail; a FTSE 100 company on its multi-million pound global procurement and roll-out of a new CRM system involving various Tier 1 suppliers; one of the world's largest multinational brewing companies on various IT projects, including the design, development and deployment of a pan-European e-commerce platform and a multi-million pound supply chain and demand management system for its UK business.