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Kevin Sullivan

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Profile

Kevin leads the Commercial & IP team and the TMT practice areas.

Kevin manages clients through the development stage and the lifespan of their businesses, from start-up (or acquisition) through to exit. In addition to advising clients local to the office in the South East (in Kent, the rest of the Home Counties and London), Kevin acts for clients throughout the UK and abroad, including listed companies, often advising on cross-border transactions and dealing internationally with lawyers both on the other side of the transaction and on the same side in association (often working closely with local counsel in other jurisdictions, many through the Alliance of Business Lawyers of which Warners is a member).

Although Kevin’s practice has a focus on IP and IT, his practice is diverse and is both transactional and advisory. It includes; forming companies (including LLPs), partnerships and joint ventures (corporate or otherwise); corporate advisory (general meetings, financing/security, equity investments, corporate governance to directors and company restructuring/reorganisations); buying, selling and merging and demerging companies and businesses; advising on commercial contracts (often cross-border) from procurement to the renegotiation and dispute/resolution stages (where required); and advising on the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights.

On the contentious side, Kevin regularly advises on contractual, shareholder/owner and intellectual property disputes (particularly copyright, trademarks and passing off, and the misuse of confidential information on the IP side).

As mentioned above, Kevin has particular experience in the technology sector (particularly information technology (IT) and software), but he also has detailed experience in several other industry sectors including media, telecommunications, retail (particularly eCommerce), professional services, manufacturing and agriculture (particularly fruit).

Experience

  • Advising a software provider on the licensing of its software for NFC mobile payments to a global telecommunications provider of well-known mobile handsets listed on NASDAQ and TSX.
  • Advising a FTSE 250 investment manager on a perpetual licence of a white-labelled software product for its front-office investment management engine.
  • Advising shareholders on the sale of their shares in a vehicle data supply company to the UK subsidiary of a US conglomerate listed on the NYSE.
  • Advising an AIM-listed supplier of CCTV and other monitoring services on its exclusive rights to distribute products manufactured by a Swedish supplier of IT solutions. The contract formed the basis of a major trial of live CCTV communications for Transport for London.
  • Advising a software provider on the licensing of its software for EMV token management to one of the “Big Five” Canadian banks listed on NYSE and TSX.
  • Advising a global Danish timber company listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange (CSE) on the divestment of its UK subsidiary.
  • Advising a Dutch company on the acquisition of a Scottish smart card software company from a high profile private equity-backed (and once AIM listed) company.
  • Advising a luxury handbag brand on an EIS investment from a private investment firm.
  • Advising a provider of facilities management IT solutions on its global reselling arrangements.
  • Advising a supplier of dancesport (ballroom and Latin) products and services on the management of its trademark portfolio.
  • Advising a deadlocked 50/50 shareholder, and ultimately the company (an IT consulting business), on the buyback of shares of the other shareholder following a dispute.
  • Advising the former directors of a company that went into liquidation in very unfortunate circumstances on the “phoenixing” of the business and the re-using of the insolvent company’s business name which required permission from the Court.
  • Advising one of the partners on the demerger of a veterinary partnership following a long and drawn-out dispute.
  • Advising on the reorganisation of an iconic London record store.

Recognition & Memberships

  • The Law Society (Solicitor, England & Wales)
  • The British Computer Society
  • The Society for Computers and Law

Legal Directories

  • Legal 500 – Recommended Lawyer, 2018 –  2024

A noted fintech expert

Tonbridge-based Kevin Sullivan, a noted fintech expert, is the IP lead at Warners Solicitors. Handling ‘soft’ issues such as trade mark applications, he oversees a team that is also known for contentious matters covering copyright infringement, misuse of confidential information and abusive domain name registrations. Notably, the firm increasingly deals with clients from the motorsport sector, an area where it handles sponsorship and endorsement agreements.

Legal 500
/ Recommended Lawyer (IP)

‘First class’ team lead

The IT & telecoms team at Warners Solicitors advises clients on commercial contract matters, often handling cross-border issues. ‘First class’ team lead Kevin Sullivan handles both contentious and non-contentious work.

Legal 500
/ Recommended Lawyer (IT & telecoms)

Broad-ranging experience in the IT space

The “excellent” Kevin Sullivan heads Warners Solicitors’ IP and TMT practice. He has broad-ranging experience in the IT space and is regularly engaged to advise on commercial contracts and complex transactional matters.

Chambers & Partners
/ Recommended Lawyer