Ian is a technology transactional lawyer with a focus on IT, cloud, outsourcing and managed services arrangements, including BPO and Enterprise Resource Planning agreements. He advises on non-contentious commercial, data licensing and privacy issues and has extensive experience advising on the legal aspects of blockchain and digital assets, including cryptocurrencies. He is known as a pragmatic lawyer who applies creative thinking to navigate new and uncharted commercial and legal issues, as well as improving efficiency in business as usual transactions.

Ian’s expertise lies where the financial services and real estate sectors meet the digital world, in particular in relation to the deployment of technology by businesses operating in, or supplying services into, those sectors. He has spent time working with cutting-edge tech vendors in Silicon Valley, helping fast-growth businesses with their global expansion, which he continues to do from the UK.

In addition to his law firm experience, Ian has spent significant time in-house, delivering pragmatic advice to key business stakeholders, including IT, compliance, procurement and sales teams. Most recently, he acted as interim European Head of Legal for CoStar, a leading PropTech business. Other in-house experience includes assisting Vodafone with distribution arrangements and regulatory compliance, News UK with GDPR compliance, The AA with technology agreements for its insurance underwriting business, and Heathrow Airport with high value, regulated procurement contracts.

He frequently speaks and writes about technology and other issues related to his practice. Ian qualified in 2011 and joined Bortstein in 2024.

Selected professional activities

• Member of the Society for Computers & Law, UK
• Member of the Data Ethics Board of the Real Estate Data (RED) Foundation

Employment history

• Osborne Clarke 2013-2024
  • CoStar (secondment) 2020-2021
  • Vodafone (secondment) 2019-2020
  • News UK (secondment) 2017-2018
  • Hotels.com (part of the Expedia Group) (secondment) 2017
  • The AA (secondment) 2015
• Blake Lapthorn (now Blake Morgan) 2009-2013
  • Heathrow Airport (secondment) 2012
  • National Air Traffic Services (secondment) 2010

Technology platforms

Supporting an Indian-headquartered global technology services provider on the £400m renegotiation of an IT managed services agreement with an international tobacco group, its largest customer.

Supporting a UK-based payments systems company on the key subcontract for its bid to provide critical national payments infrastructure for inter-bank transfers.

Assisting an industry-leading construction software supplier with the establishment of a customer-facing sales portal, including ensuring an appropriate licensing structure for a range of products, advising on privacy compliance and drafting a new consolidated master supply agreement with supplementary product-specific terms.

Advising a well-known credit issuer on an agreement with a household name department store for the launch of a new credit card and reward scheme, including the associated brand licence.

Supporting the leading provider of Commercial Real Estate data with agreements relating to the procurement and licensing of data for its core product offering, regulatory compliance relating to the storage and processing of personal data, and international expansion.

Advising an AI-powered video, messaging and analytics platform on its B2B customer-facing terms, privacy compliance and international expansion.

Procurement

Leading a major UK mobile infrastructure services company through various business-critical arrangements, including agreements for the renewal of its estate and treasury management agreement, and for the procurement of additional acquisition, design and construction services.

Advising a global medical device designer, manufacturer and supplier on an enterprise resource planning project with a leading digital, cloud and advisory services provider, covering all phases from “discovery” through to “live”.

Advising a leading international multidisciplinary consultancy business on the procurement of technology and related services for the operation of its flagship London premises.

Preparing a template business process outsourcing agreement for a Silicon Valley-based multi-national provider of software for searching, tracking and analysing machine data.

Working with the legal and procurement functions of a leading student accommodation provider to update its entire suite of template procurement agreement, including for goods, services and software, and compliance with applicable privacy regulation.

Advising a global real estate investment manager on an agreement with a broadband, networks and utilities provider for the procurement of managed broadband services at a number of developments.

Advising a leading infrastructure projects business on the outsourcing of its entire IT needs under a managed services agreement with a global technology provider.

Advising a leading ports group on a major data centre and IT systems outsourcing agreement with a UK-based IT managed services provider.

Data transactions

Drafting and negotiating a data/IP sharing agreement on behalf of a global technology supplier related to the development of an AI-powered cybersecurity product in the travel sector.

Advising a global accountancy practice on a master data management agreement and related software licences for a key business transformation project.