Samantha Oakley

Samantha has spent the last 6 years running her own legal consultancy firm, working with start-ups and SMEs, particularly in the media and tech sectors.  She has worked closely with them, advising on a wide range of commercial legal aspects of their business, creating a wide range of contracts to suit their needs and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, especially data protection. All with a view to supporting their expansion and growth.

Prior to that Samantha spent many years working in-house at some well-known tech and media companies so understands the business-first approach and how to find the best solutions, as well as how to work as part of the team.

Several of Samantha’s clients do business with global, publicly listed and well-known companies and appreciate how much this prior experience has helped them when either negotiating with such companies themselves or when she does so on their behalf (especially as she understands the balance between getting the best deal possible whilst maintaining good ongoing working relationships).

It is very important to Samantha to ensure that complex legal issues, especially in relation to the ever-changing areas around IP and data protection, are simplified and easily understood by her clients, therefore, ensuring that all issues are approached on a clear, pragmatic and risk-based basis.

Most recently Samantha has also been working with businesses who are purpose-led (e.g. BCorps, social enterprises and charities).

Relevant experience includes:

• Creating bespoke terms & conditions for the sale of goods or provision of services for various clients, for them to use as their standard terms of business (including e-commerce, SaaS and software distribution and licensing).
• Negotiating contracts on behalf of clients for the provision of services with well-known global companies.
• Reviewing brand licences from well-known global brands for clients’ use on their products.
• Drafting many different franchise agreements (for both franchisors and franchisees).
• Drafting many different privacy policies & notices, data processing and data sharing agreements (and other correlating policies/procedures) and carrying out audits with clients to ensure compliance with data protection laws.
• Drafting various different disclaimers and limitations of liability, particularly within the parameters of clients’ insurance policies.
• Advising on the structure of companies, partnerships, JVs and supply chains to ensure my clients have as much control and protection as possible.
• Advising on different business structures and constitutions for purpose-led businesses and social enterprises.