You are here
Home Key PeoplePhil Thompson
Phil Thompson
Partner, Commercial & Technology Team
T: +44 (0) 845 201 3147
M: +44 (0) 7824 505 193
Click here to listen to Phil's views on key terms in technology project contracts.
What are your specialist areas?
I specialise in commercial contracts, with a particular focus on clients in technology-based businesses.
I regularly advise clients on licensing of software and IT hardware, R&D collaborations (advising both Universities and the organisations partnering with them), outsourcing and data protection issues.
What drives your passion for technology and law?
I’m told that I decided I was going to be a lawyer when I was 7 years old. I think I must have watched a legal drama on television and thought that it looked glamorous! Thankfully, and despite a certain absence of glamour, I’ve found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable career choice. I find applying a legal analysis to a particular problem, and helping clients make decisions that drive their businesses forward, to be a genuine pleasure.
Being able to do this in an area which is developing as quickly as the technology sector means that I am regularly advising clients on deals which will shape the way their business operates in the future.
Tell us about your business knowledge and experience
I have twice worked in-house on secondment, once at an AIM-listed software business and once at a pan-European print management company. As a partner at White & Black, I now also help run our own business. Working in-house enables you to see a deal from the client’s perspective, and having your “client” in the same office, as opposed to at the end of a telephone, can bring a totally different dynamic to the client / solicitor relationship. I honestly believe that my experiences of working within an organisation have helped me to become a much better lawyer in private practice.
What does client service mean to you?
Understanding the needs of the client at the outset of an instruction and working with them to ensure the final legal agreement accurately reflects this. At White & Black we invest a lot of time trying to gain a better understanding of our clients’ businesses, as we believe this will assist in ensuring our advice is appropriate for those particular clients and will hopefully lead to our clients seeing us as an extended part of their team as opposed to an external advisor. It’s important that we understand the needs of our clients and any pressures they are under so that we can work at a level which will exceed their expectations.
What do clients say about you?
Phil supports the entire legal requirements of the global business development function within HH. He is great to work with and a highly valued extension of the core team. In addition to giving great advice, and being astute enough to devise practical workarounds when needed, he manages to keep up with our hectic schedule without ever complaining once. An all round class act.
Tony Massey, Group Sales & Marketing Director, HH Associates Limited
I can think of no better endorsement than that we have trusted him completely in helping us structure our business.
David Gilbey, Former VP of Content & Services, AOL, Founder of Aubert Park Ventures
International experience
I regularly act for clients based across Europe and in the United States, often on the expansion of their businesses into the UK. I’ve also co-ordinated advice from lawyers based in many other jurisdictions for UK clients negotiating agreements for deals based in another country. As a member of the International Bar Association, I also attend the IBA annual conference and am one of the partners responsible for developing White & Black’s network of approved partners in other jurisdictions.
What are your interests and hobbies outside of law?
I enjoy watching almost any sport and still play both football and golf regularly (if not successfully).
