Automotive sector

Our tier one-ranked team of experienced commercial lawyers understands what you, as an in-house lawyer, and your business are looking for. We listen; and we can provide highly commercial, cost- effective legal advice and solutions tailored to meet your needs.

We have a longstanding and valued relationship with OEMs and tier suppliers.

We have extensive experience in advising on contracts for every stage of the product life cycle, across different jurisdictions.

Our work includes

• Direct supply and purchase agreements for components - we have worked with OEMs to draft and update supply terms and implement purchasing processes. We have also negotiated substantial contracts for key components.
• Indirect purchasing for software and other goods and services - indirect services, including infrastructure and software, are important and often difficult to manage as they involve negotiations on supplier terms. We have experience of managing this process neatly and cost effectively.
• Dealer, distributor and repairer agreements - we have drafted and organised agreements for worldwide dealer networks.

Our EU and competition team advises on all aspects of competition law and subsidy control / state aid.

Our public sector expertise means we provide market-leading state aid advice in relation to major projects and investments. We advise on state aid funding for major engineering and manufacturing companies, including OEMs and publicly funded research projects and joint ventures. Our experience advising both industry and funders means we are well placed, not just as lawyers but as business advisers, to help you maximise your prospects in funding applications.

Value-added services – our in-house lawyers service can help you overcome the challenges you face when determining how best to resource significant volumes of legal work. Our tailored retainer arrangement delivers fixed price certainty and a dedicated team that knows you and your business, while providing flexibility.

We provide online training and resources to keep you updated, including bespoke training on areas that have a direct impact on your business. We provide legal updates and bulletins to keep you abreast of changes to the law that affect the automotive industry. Our helpline can also help you avoid problems further down the line by answering ad hoc queries as they arise. We deliver our wide-ranging seminars and webinars as an ongoing programme of events. We rely on your feedback to continually ensure we’re providing the best service.

Key client: Scania

Defence of multiple sets of high court litigation proceedings in Ireland in relation to antitrust claims on behalf of Scania, a world leading provider of transport solutions.

Areas of expertise

• Providing strategic advice on behavioural matters such as structuring selective distribution systems, agency agreements, bonus systems, warranty restrictions, and internet resale and advertising restrictions.
• Handling investigations by the UK and EU competition authorities, leniency and immunity applications and appeals to the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
• Implementing compliance programmes including competition law audits, risk assessments, drafting compliance manuals/ guidance notes and running interactive training sessions for employees.
• Providing merger control advice from initial analysis through to handling UK, EU and multijurisdictional filings and clearances.
• Providing subsidy control/state aid advice on publicly funded research projects and joint ventures.
• Supporting clients applying for public funding, providing subsidy control / state aid compliance advice and generally supporting through the application process.

What we can do for you

• Face to face training.
• Webinars.
• Online training.
• Training videos.
• Compliance manuals and FAQs.

Our corporate team is known for its extensive experience in domestic and international M&A transactions, private equity work, corporate governance advice and solvent reorganisations. With one of the largest teams in the UK and Ireland, with a global reach supported by a strong network of leading law firms in other jurisdictions, we have the right team for your corporate needs.

We act for a number of national and global corporate clients across the automotive industry from large corporate manufacturers (e.g. Aston Martin, Arlington and Lotus ) to corporates in the automotive supply chain (Heads & All Threads and HPL Prototypes) as well as emerging automotive tech, GreenTech and energy (Aceleron and Onto).

We advise on a full range of transactions from larger cross-border projects to smaller scale reorganisations and changes to capital structure. Given the importance of ensuring the work is undertaken correctly so that it does not create issues on a future audit or sale, we have a tailored approach which is focused on both quality and efficiency.

We have a dedicated company secretarial team who would be able to take care of your day-to-day company secretarial needs e.g. preparation and filing of confirmation statements, maintaining statutory registers on a class-leading hosted software platform.

What we provide

• 15 minute quick call service for free access to our corporate specialists (e.g. to bounce ideas off us for speculative projects, get a second opinion or to talk about experiences in the market) which does not require substantive advice.
• Bespoke training sessions and access to know how resources on key legal matters which affect corporate projects, directors’ duties and corporate governance.
• Act on any acquisitions, disposals and/or investments.
• Advice on reorganisations.
• Company secretarial support.

Our specialist team can help you with the implementation of the requirements of the data protection legislation applicable to your business and on the day-to-day use of personal data - from managing employees, customers, distributors, dealers and suppliers through to privacy issues with products, apps and advertising and marketing.

We also have extensive experience advising on privacy issues associated with behavioural advertising and location information, browser-generated information and device recognition technologies.

What we can do for you

• Assist with data protection compliance in marketing strategies or campaigns, regardless of the technology being used, to minimise your business’s exposure to financial penalties.
• Advise on risk areas of proposed data sharing relationships with third parties and how to mitigate these risks through robust diligence and written contracts.
• Advise on the implementation of an efficient subject access request response procedure to reduce the drain on resource which these requests can and do cause.

We would also be happy to provide bespoke training to you on any data protection issues that may be useful. This training can be provided in format that works for you. We have described below some examples of the most common types of training that we are asked to provide:

• Data protection overview.
• Personal data breach training.
• Subject access request training.
• Marketing training.

Our dispute resolution team specialises in managing commercial contract and trading disputes for major domestic and international corporations.

We provide results-driven support with a proven track record of resolving disputes robustly and speedily. Specialising in managing commercial contract and trading disputes for major domestic and international corporations, we have a wealth of experience in litigation, arbitration, mediation and expert determination.

We’ve helped OEMs, tier 1 suppliers, and other automotive clients resolve disputes with suppliers, dealers, distributors, repairers and other commercial partners, particularly those involving marketing, production lines, and consumers. We provide training on the cost-effective management of disputes and specific issues, including privilege and contract formation.

What can we do for you

• Resolve disputes with suppliers, dealers, repairers and other commercial partners.
• Advise on disputes arising out of distribution relationships, including cross-border issues.
• Assist with other disputes involving marketing, production lines, consumers etc.
• Provide training on the cost effective management of disputes, and on specific issues including privilege, contract formation and other areas of interest.

Our employment team deals with the whole spectrum of employment and immigration law.

We have dealt with issues relating to the removal of senior executives, sensitive disciplinary matters, issues relating to agency workers engaged by the company, advice on the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, as well as all immigration advice in relation to new recruits to ensure compliance with UK legislation. We are praised for offering pragmatic solutions and telling our clients what they can do – as opposed to what they can’t – and making sure that we are clear about what we would do if we were them. By using a core team, our clients have access to lawyers and HR consultants who will work as an extension of their HR function.

We deal with all aspects of employment law. Our clients’ testimonials praise our speedy response times and robust and pragmatic advice. We don’t give options – we give solutions.

We have over 20 specialist lawyers around the country and deal with everything from ad hoc queries to complex multi-week discrimination and whistleblowing complaints. We have advised our clients at all levels of proceedings, right up to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

What we provide

• Helpline service for day-to-day employment law matters.
• Representation in the Employment Tribunals.
• Bespoke training for your managers and workforce.
• Immigration advice including advice on permits, visas.
• Covid-19 strategy advice including assistance with the Government’s Job retention Scheme and return to work issues.

Our experienced and award-winning intellectual property practice helps to protect, enforce and commercialise automotive clients’ trade marks and manage their intellectual property portfolios.

We’ve acted on many of the UK’s leading cases, shaping automotive trade mark law in the UK and Europe. We achieve savings and efficiencies and have an excellent track record in high-stakes disputes.

We draft and negotiate the full range of intellectual property focused commercial agreements. Everything from R&D agreements for projects developing new models of electric cars and batteries, to advertising campaigns. We advise on influencer advertising and licensing agreements; innovative capture and patent advice; intellectual property audits; litigation; and counterfeit protection.

We have significant automotive manufacturing experience and provide tailored guidance on government regulations facing the automotive industry.

We advise on issues including health and safety, environmental, product recall and safety, and fire safety relevant to automotive businesses - including REACH and WEEE Regulations.

Our automotive lawyers deliver training on a range of risks including: how to manage a dawn raid or criminal investigation; what to do if an inspector from a regulator visits any of your sites unannounced; contracts that protect the business from a regulatory perspective; how to investigate an incident or near miss; and anti-money laundering, sanctions, bribery and corruption.

We support businesses in a crisis, providing an immediate on-site response in the event of an accident or incident. We enable businesses to continue as usual, with limited impact on production demands. Our lawyers can advise on or undertake a thorough and privileged internal incident investigation to put the business in the best possible position to deal with an inevitable regulatory investigation. We guide automotive clients through fatal accident inquiries and Health and Safety Executive investigations.

What we can do for you

We can devise and deliver (or train you to deliver) training on a range of risks including:

• How to manage a dawn raid.
• What to do if an inspector from a range of regulators visits any of your sites unannounced.
• Contracts that protect the business from a regulatory perspective.
• How to investigate an incident or near miss.
• Corporate policies including health and safety, anti-money laundering and sanctions regime, bribery and corruption.
• Advising on the type approval process for vehicles.
• Product liability and consumer safety.

We support you and tailor our service to meet your needs. We recognise that the key to doing this is over a sustained period. Below are some examples of how we can add value and specific ways that we will create value for you.

Online training and other resources

Your teams will have access to a range of resources on topical issues including legal updates and training videos – these can be emailed out as soon as they are available to those opting in.
Automotive insights

Bespoke training

We offer tailored bespoke training on areas that will have a direct impact on your business. We can deliver these through Teams, Zoom or in person.

Ad hoc advice/helpline

We appreciate the need to have a 'sounding board' for legal issues and matters being dealt with in-house.

We encourage early engagement with our clients and find that this avoids problems later down the line.

Events programme

Your team will also have access to our wide range of training resources through our general seminar and webinar programme.

Legal updates and bulletins

Our team can provide you with email bulletins and legal updates to keep clients abreast of recent cases and changes in the law. These are produced as and when changes arise and are in email format.
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Ongoing communication

Your feedback is extremely important in terms of the advice we give, the service you receive, how we manage our relationship with you and the additional services we provide.