Specialist team
IP, Technology & Commercial
Experience:
A notary public of England and Wales, Robert specialises in intellectual property law, advising businesses, large or small, on identifying, protecting and commercialising their intellectual property assets. His work encompasses IT contracts, outsourcing, internet law, franchising and general commercial. His particular areas of specialist knowledge include legal issues for the computer games and digital media sectors, data protection and information security.
Robert’s clients include multinationals such as 3M, Dresser, ACS, 3Par, Merrill Corporation and Second Life who he advises on a range of IT and commercial contracts, EU regulations and global data protection and information security compliance.
Robert is widely published and is the author of seven books, including most recently for Butterworths where he led the contributions of text and precedents to Vol 19(1) (Information Technology) of the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents. Robert is a Companion of the British Computer Society, a Fellow of the Society of Advanced Legal Studies and in 1994 was a researcher in Information Security law at the University of Leicester. He is chairman of the ICC (UK) E-Business, IT & Telecoms Committee and the IT and E-Commerce Committee of the Licensing Executives Society of which he is also a council member. He is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers and also of the City of London Solicitor’s Company. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the ITECH Law Association, the Notaries Society and the Author's Licensing and Collecting Society.
Regarded as a leading lawyer in computer games, Robert is listed by Chambers as a recommended leading individual for data protection, is listed in the Who’s Who of International Internet and E-Commerce and is also listed in Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom for Information Technology. Robert is recognised as a Legal Expert by Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Technology, Media & Telecommunications Lawyers. He is also a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences.
Robert joined Speechly Bircham as a partner in October 2006 from the London office of US firm Faegre & Benson LLP, where he was head of the offices intellectual property group. Before joining Faegre, Robert was head of intellectual property at the East Midlands firm of Goodger Auden, during which time he was also Secretary of Lawyers Associated Worldwide (LAW). He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wolverhampton, qualifying as a solicitor in 1979 at Sheltons Solicitors in Wolverhampton.