Views on contract law
The best contracts are in plain language, address the most important issues up front and are no more complicated than they need to be for the business risks being covered. Having a good understanding of what’s important in a contract, why certain clauses appear (and when you can leave them out) and when to ask for help can save you time and money, and make the process of negotiating contracts much more collaborative. After 25 years as a lawyer in private practice and industry, my approach to negotiating and talking about contracts is pragmatic and unstuffy. I enjoy problem solving and breaking down legal ideas into manageable pieces before communicating them to business people without using unnecessary legal jargon.
Qualifications
I studied law at Cambridge University and Chester College of Law, qualifying as a solicitor in 1988.
Career
For the first eight years after qualifying, I worked in private practice, first at Freshfields and then at Cameron Markby, specialising in mergers and acquisitions. I moved into industry in 1997 as European Counsel and later International Counsel for Tektronix, a US-headquartered engineering company. Following Tektronix’s acquisition by Danaher Corporation, I became International General Counsel for their $3.5bn test and measurement division. In addition to customer contracts, I’ve drafted and negotiated reseller, agency, employment, acquisition and restructuring contracts of all descriptions and sizes, and all over the world. I have supported people at varying levels of seniority, from different cultures and who spoke many languages, so excellent written and oral communication skills have been essential to my success.
What do others think?
“Derek… has continuously provided me… with exceptional and wise counsel. Derek’s legal knowledge is deep and broad and he always approaches issues with a solution-based outlook. Derek is an exceptionally gifted lawyer…” (Curt Bludworth, VP Human Resources, Tektronix)
“Derek not only has an immense amount of legal experience and helped us maintain a real competitive advantage in the market place, he has a real sharp business mind as well and has always been able to collaborate with his business partners to allow us to maximize all key business opportunities while ensuring that we uphold the strictest business conduct.” (Simon Lee, VP and General Manager Fluke Networks, Asia/Pacific)
“Derek has an excellent understanding of the business needs and challenges… this makes him a great team player what I rarely found in other lawyers, also he has great people skills so that he can talk at any level and translate the law in a way all levels can understand.” (Eric Pieters, Technical Services Director Tektronix, Europe)