Stephen Pearne

Stephen is a commercial partner at Harper James, with considerable business law experience gained over years of working as a senior lawyer and partner in private practice, and as in-house counsel.

Stephen trained in-house at Chelsea Building Society, and then moved to another in-house role as Senior Counsel at British Telecommunications PLC. Stephen later left BT to establish his own boutique law firm, acting for businesses of all sizes, from start-ups and SMEs through to PLCs, and has been in private practice ever since. Stephen has joined us from a substantial regional law firm.

Stephen has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts, terms and conditions, and a wide range of other documents.  Stephen has particular experience working with businesses in the technology, internet and digital sectors.

Having qualified as a solicitor in 1998, Stephen has over 20 years of experience in a wide variety of sectors:

• Technology, including internet, e-commerce (goods and services), online platforms, software-as-a-service, cloud service providers, mobile apps, consumer tech, software, hardware, digital identities, and biometrics
• Software, including licences, enterprise agreements, and value added reseller agreements
• Intellectual property, including trade mark licences, patent and know-how licences, assignments of copyright, patents, trade marks and other IP rights
• Creative industries, including advertising and marketing, product design and development, and brand merchandising
• Retail goods and services, including consumer goods, fine wine, fashion apparel, footwear, and bespoke luxury services to high net worth individuals
• Entertainment, such as commercial agreements with social media personalities and influencers acting as brand ambassadors
• Manufacturing and distribution, including supply agreement, distribution agreements, agency agreements, and introducer agreements
• Procurement, including bid processes and awards, and complex procurement and outsourcing contracts
• Utilities, particularly telecommunications

Stephen lives in Cheltenham with his wife and their three children. Away from work, Stephen can usually be found enjoying walks in the Cotswolds with his family, tackling his latest DIY project, or tinkering with technology.