Kevin Manship

Kevin joined the commercial team at Harper James in 2022 and brings over 20 years’ experience working in private practice on a range of commercial matters.

What really motivates me is helping clients to achieve their goals, from a startup with a great business idea which needs to get terms and conditions in place, to helping a client get that game- changing deal over the line. We have wonderful clients at Harper James and it is a real pleasure to be able to help them.

Having qualified as a solicitor in 2000, Kevin worked at top 50 law firm Blake Morgan for the majority of his career. Over the years he has undertaken several client secondments, being embedded as an in-house legal resource into multi-disciplinary teams involved in the procurement of large-scale IT, technology and infrastructure projects.

The law can be very complex and daunting for clients, but it doesn’t have to be. A big part of my role is being able to break down and explain issues that can seem complex to a client in language they can understand and relate to. That increased knowledge is often the first step to resolving difficult issues.

“My job is not just about knowing the law. I build strong relationships with my clients and take the time to know and understand their business and what they want to achieve. Clients have told me that they value my ability to stay calm under pressure, the way I adapt to changing circumstances and my solution-based approach.

Kevin drafts and advises on a wide range of commercial contracts across a number of different sectors, including IT and technology, healthcare and commercial agency and distributor arrangements.

I also have experience of commercial litigation, which gives me a slightly different perspective when negotiating and drafting contracts. I have seen what happens when things go wrong, I know the pressure points in the contract and I can help to protect my client in the contract. There is always risk - that is the nature of business - but managing that risk properly can make a real difference.

“I have been asked many times why contracts have to be so long. In many cases they don’t and in my experience overly long contracts can actually be counter-productive because they get put away in a drawer and nobody reads or follows them. I am a big believer in keeping things clear and simple. That doesn’t mean that you have to reduce the protection that a contract gives you.

Kevin lives in South Wales and away from work he enjoys watching football and rugby, the cinema and going for long walks with the family and two crazy beagles.