IT Contracts

Although many aspects of Information Technology (IT) contracts are identical to those in standard commercial contracts, many elements require lawyers to understand the underlying IT product and the legal issues likely to arise therefrom. These include questions of Intellectual Property ownership, transparent acceptance testing clauses and scope of work. By leveraging our team’s technical expertise, Barnes Law can offer you tailored advice on the drafting and management of a broad range of IT contracts, ensuring that they protect you in the long run.

What are IT contracts?

With the growth of digital technology, the range of contracts related to software or hardware is ever-increasing. The most common IT contracts we work with at Barnes Law include (but are not limited to):

  • Support and Maintenance Services Agreements: contracts for the support and maintenance of software or hardware by an IT company to another company that uses it. Our lawyers routinely help clients draft and/or negotiate contracts that work for them (by ensuring, for instance, clear IT support levels, transparent update schedules, predictable maintenance fees and other flexible arrangements).
  • End User License Agreements (EULAs): contracts through which a company or individual licenses their intellectual property (most commonly software) to others. We ensure that the contract is tailored to your business needs, be it software that you sell online to individuals or a bespoke suite for corporate businesses. We also often deal with similar software-as-a-service contracts software offered through mobile apps or web programmes.
  • Software Development Agreements: contracts through which developers produce and maintain software for specific clients. We leverage our expertise in the market to anticipate and mitigate issues common to software development relationships. We do so, for instance, by laying out clear ownership structures, reusability of code provisions, payment terms and fair remedies for any unexpected issues that may come up.

How can Barnes Law help you?

Our team has specialist experience in IT contracts, accumulated whilst working with IT companies and end-users over the past years. Whether you are an IT business that needs support with selling its products or a business wishing to secure IT support or purchase corporate software, we are ready to use this expertise to help your business. We offer support across all stages of IT contracts, ranging from identifying strategic business objectives and technological constraints to negotiating and drafting contracts, as well as resolving any subsequent disputes.

To see how we can support your business’s IT needs, please call us on +44 (0) 208 092 2700 or email info@barnes-law.co.uk. We also offer 30-minute initial consultations free of charge:

Yulia Barnes

Managing Partner
BarnesLawAssociates

Yulia Barnes is our Managing Partner. She is an experienced solicitor and advises on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious matters for both private and corporate clients.

yulia@barnes-law.co.uk

Experience Yulia started her legal career at a large international Magic Circle firm. She then became a partner at a regional law firm and headed a Dispute Resolution Department. She then moved in-house before starting her own Boutique practice, Barnes Law, with the aim of providing exclusive services to high net-worth individuals and privately-owned businesses. More details can be found on her LinkedIn profile.

Expertise Yulia and her team are widely recognised for their professional and practical approach to matters. She is committed to ensuring that her clients’ objectives are achieved in the most cost-effective way possible.

Approach Yulia has a wealth of experience working with businesses of all sizes: from large multinational corporations to start-ups. She has particular expertise in a hospitality industry, investment funds, private and corporate clients, and focuses on startups and technology-driven companies. Yulia brings the same level of attention to detail, professionalism and a personal touch to every case and client, and truly immerses herself in her clients’ businesses. She prides herself on her problem-solving, commercially astute approach and her track record of partnering with clients to help them achieve their strategic objectives.

Will Moran

Solicitor
BarnesLawAssociates

Will joined Barnes Law as an Associate Solicitor in Spring 2023, shortly after qualifying in September 2022.

Will works mostly on real estate and corporate/commercial matters. Will enjoys providing advice on transactional matters.

Away from the office, Will can be found reading or playing golf. While he played rugby until university, and rowed throughout his degree, he now tends to watch both from the sidelines. During the winter he can also be found skiing.

Will plans to continue developing his legal skills and experience at Barnes Law, under the expertise and guidance provided by Yulia.

will@barnes-law.co.uk



Mark Corran

Solicitor
BarnesLawAssociates

Mark is an experienced solicitor whose practice areas include intellectual property (IP), IT, data protection and general commercial law.

Mark advises businesses of all sizes – from sole traders to corporations. Among his clients are: clothing and lifestyle brands, restaurants and food suppliers, IT companies, banks, hedge funds and venture capital firms, education providers, medical and pharmaceutical brands.

Outside of his practice, Mark also advises members of the Institute of Directors as part of its Directors’ Advisory Service.

mark@barnes-law.co.uk

Recent transactions
  • Prosecuting a UK trademark application on behalf of an education provider and representing them in related UK IPO opposition and revocation proceedings;
  • Advising a publisher and a delivery business on data protection matters, B2B and B2C Ts & Cs of sale, website and app Ts & Cs, all aspects of global brand protection;
  • Advising footwear brands, alternative asset managers and hedge funds on their global brand protection, including overcoming various refusals, representing them in opposition proceedings and settlement negotiations;
  • Representing a central bank in opposition proceedings before the UK IPO;
  • Advising a lifestyle brand concerning trademark clearance and protection, negotiations for a website/app development and maintenance agreement.


Ioulia Tatawat

Family Law Adviser
BarnesLawAssociates

Ioulia has a solid background in family law and offers guidance, clarity, and support to clients during one of their most challenging times in their life.

She advises on all three pillars of separation: divorce, children matters and financial settlements. Ioulia is a member of Resolution and is keen to try to settle matters at early stages.

Ioulia is dedicated to assisting clients and navigating them through their legal matters with clarity and support.

ioulia@barnes-law.co.uk

Alex Reidy

Paralegal
BarnesLawAssociates

Alex joined Barnes Law in September 2023 after finishing his master’s degree in law. Prior to joining Barnes Law, Alex worked in property litigation at Ashfords. Alex assists Yulia on a variety of both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Outside of the office, Alex enjoys reading and hiking. Prior to working in law, Alex was a competitive tennis player.

Alex continues to develop his skills in legal practice under Yulia’s guidance, he plans to sit the Solicitor’s Qualifying Exams (SQE) in 2024.

paralegal@barnes-law.co.uk

 

Mehves Selamoglu

Paralegal
BarnesLawAssociates

Mehves joined Barnes Law in August 2023, right after graduating from Queen Mary, University of London (LLB Senior Status). As part of her qualification journey, Mehves is currently pursuing her Legal Practice Course (‘LPC’) at the University of Law. She also holds a degree in European Union Law from Maastricht University, Netherlands.

Mehves works closely with Yulia on a variety of contentions matters and also writes Barnes Law’s legal blogs, manages social media accounts and is responsible for marketing.

Outside of work and studies, she enjoys running, tennis and yoga.

Mehves is looking forward to developing her legal skills at Barnes Law.

mehves@barnes-law.co.uk

 

Julia Podgornova

Investor Relationship Manager
BarnesLawAssociates

Julia guides clients in making important business decisions based on comprehensive risk assessment and strategy. She supports investors in devising strategies designed to maximise each business’s potential from pre-seed to IPO.

Julia’s particular area of expertise are IT start-ups at different stages. Julia supports business through their fund-raising journey. As an Investor Relations Manager, Julia communicates with investors to facilitate a smooth round and legal part of each transaction.

In her free time Julia enjoys sailing, ballroom dancing, art exhibitions and travel. 

iuliia@barnes-law.co.uk