Fiona handles a range of corporate and commercial work. Her expertise is international in scope, and she specialises in US work. She has over 25 years of experience at international city firms, reaching partner level and General Counsel in multinational companies.
Areas of expertise:
- Corporate, start-ups, venture capital, private equity, M&A, shareholder agreements including cross border. USA experience.
- Commercial contracts, including Master Service Agreements, Framework Agreements, Project Agreements, Services and Supplier Agreements, Inbound Service Agreements, SOWs and all contract forms.
- Projects, Government Contracts, Public Sector & Procurement of large capital value including central government, NHS, Defence, Nuclear, Renewables, Utilities, procurement advice and tendering, outsourcing, and offshoring.
- I.T and cyber law, AI robotics collaborations and integration, Hardware and Software & SAAS licensing, Mobile app development.
- Healthcare, Clinical Trials, U.S. HIPPA.
- Oil industry, energy, utilities, and renewables.
- Sanctions advice and compliance (member of The Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists).
- Data Protection, GDPR & Privacy Law (member of the National Association of Data Protection Officers) and cybersecurity.
- Laws of Outer Space, satellites, Lighter than Air technology and sustainable aviation.
- Media and Entertainment and Motorsport, including Sponsorship Agreements, Merchandise Agreements, image release licences, TV Participation Agreements, and Location Agreements.
- Project Finance, Banking and Credit Agreements & Loan Notes.
Fiona is also a Lecturer at University of West of England College of Business and Law, of Cyberlaw, Financial Services, Employment, all solicitor training and industry professional courses and a supervisor and grader of post graduate LLM dissertations.
Due to her experience as partner and as a global General Counsel, she has a significant breadth of experience that pertains to all those leading the legal function of global organisations. She has been internationally recognised for her work and is the only lawyer outside the USA to be invited and sponsored by three core members of the esteemed Explorers Club in NYC, which comprises astronauts, polar explorers, world-leading medical innovators, conservationists, and world firsts. She is the Legal Counsel on the Committee for the Explorers Club for Great Britain and Ireland. As a result of her involvement at this level for many years, she also advises on laws of Outer Space, satellite, lighter than air technology (airships) and sustainable aviation.
In 2016, Fiona solely led a significant robotic/AI collaboration integrating DeepMind machine learning technology, one of the first lawyers to specialise in this field at this level of complexity. A highly confidential robotic project, this technology has just recently been made public.
Fiona also possesses a strong background in public health and healthcare management. She earned her MSc in Global Public Health from Queen Mary University of London. Her professional experience includes significant work with the Private Finance Initiative within the NHS. She also held a role at the UK Health Security Agency, where she directed numerous nationally-known projects. Furthermore, Fiona also has a specialised skill in healthcare and pharmaceutical, epidemiology, and clinical trials.
In addition, Fiona has been a Legal and Commercial Director of a significant lighter than air endeavour in Houston, USA, for over 7 years.
Fiona is a speaker at many innovative events and media. Having grown up in a professional entertainment environment and been LAMDA trained from a young age on the professional stage, she advised on the first holographic West End performance released in 2015 and has worked within TV, theatre, music, and film.
Notable cases:
Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust v Compass Group - Good Faith Case. Fiona led this project, in which the drafting of the SLA led to a sea change of thought about the doctrine of good faith at the judicial level.
Y2K - Fiona was the only lawyer called in by the UK Government to advise on the topic, uniquely recogised as having a full understanding of the issue as a newly qualified lawyer. Following her meeting, the Millenium Conformity Bill was not enacted. She accurately assessed that the risks of widespread litigation and a global meltdown were overstated, emphasising the need for targeted upgrades to critical CMOS systems.
Hobbies:
- Explorers Club conservation, exploration and sustainability endeavours. Committee Legal Counsel.
- Independent Doctors Federation - Governance Committee.
- Sailing.
- Musician, composer, and producer.
- Events management for extraordinary people.
- Golf, tennis and a passion for languages and culture.