Who am I?
I am a barrister (a species of lawyer) based in London. I was a computer scientist for 12 years until 2002 when I saw the light (or turned to the dark side &mdash depending on your point of view); studied law and began practice as a barrister in 2004. I still do a certain amount of coding (mostly in python) when I need to relax.
What do I do?
I split my time roughly 50:50 between completely conventional work as a barrister instructed by solicitors to go to court; argue before — or often with — a judge; to draft court documents and advise clients. The other half of the time I give advice directly to SME technology firms mostly in the software or web development sectors. In my "spare" time I support the My Society and the Open Rights Group.
Why do I blog?
My blog aims to talk about the way that the law affects the digital environment in a way that is comprehensible to interested non-lawyers. I am particularly interested in copyright and related rights, but also keep an eye on all kinds of legal developments that affect the web.
Qualifications and experience
I have a degree in mathematics (Cambridge 1989) and diplomas in computer science (Cambridge 1990) and law (City University 2002). I was called to the bar in 2003 and have been practising as a barrister in independent practice ever since. Some people are interested in academic awards, so I should say that I won the Falcon Chambers Prize for Land Law while at City and the 4 Stone Buildings Prize for Civil Litigation at Bar School.
In my early years of practice I did just about anything that a barrister might be asked to do, with the one exception of any family (children and divorce) work. I even spent 6 interesting weeks as a trainee seconded to a chambers specialising in criminal law, but that was almost the entirety of my "career in crime".
Instructing me (members of the public)
If you run, or represent, a software engineering or web focussed business and would like legal advice or assistance, then I may be able to help you. I can offer advice or draft or check documents for you. I am not able to conduct litigation on your behalf, but I can certainly recommend solicitors who may be able to do so if that becomes necessary.
I restrict myself to working with business in a sector in which I practised for two reasons: first as a barrister I am not able to offer the full range of support that is available from a solicitor, which are in my experience necessary to give proper assistance to most members of the public. Second, my unique selling point is that I can give advice "geek to geek". My knowledge of software engineering and computer networking is highly relevant to an SME technology firm, but unlikely to be of use to anyone else.
I will normally charge for the time a job takes. Where I know a client well (so that I can estimate closely how much time they will need) or a job is straightforward or commonplace I may be able to offer a fixed fee. My hourly rate is £200/hour + VAT but if you are a startup I will reduce my rate in at least the first year of your dealing with me if you explain your situation.
Instructing me (solicitors, legal executives, etc)
I run a conventional service in all aspects of Chancery and Commercial law. I clerk myself. Please feel free to call me to enquire as to my availability and rates.
