How Bratby Law works with clients
Direct Legal Advice | Specialist Co-counsel | Fractional General Counsel
How we work
Bratby Law works with clients in three ways: as direct legal advisers on specific matters, as specialist co-counsel supporting other legal teams, and as fractional general counsel on a longer-term retained basis. Each model delivers partner-level input without delegation.
An end-to-end regulatory perspective
Rob Bratby’s experience spans three perspectives that are seldom combined in a single advisor:
The Regulator’s Perspective
Work at Oftel, the predecessor to Ofcom, provides first-hand experience of how UK communications regulation is developed, interpreted and enforced. This includes leadership of the project to liberalise the UK’s international telecoms infrastructure market (subsea cables and satellite), and a detailed understanding of regulatory intent and enforcement dynamics.
The Operator’s Perspective
Senior in-house roles at COLT and embedded general-counsel roles within industry-wide joint ventures and operator-side businesses provide practical insight into how businesses are run, where risks arise, how compliance is operationalised and how commercial and regulatory decisions are made inside carriers, fintechs and infrastructure operators.
The Advisor’s Perspective
Senior partnership and management roles at international US and UK law firms in both London and Singapore provide a deep understanding of how high quality legal advice is delivered and translated into commercial and regulatory decisions at board level.
This combination enables advice that is legally rigorous, commercially aligned and technically grounded.
Why a specialist boutique?
Bratby Law is structured to provide a clear alternative to broad practices and City or international law firms:
Boutique approach |
City firm |
|---|---|
|
Specialist, sector-specific focus |
Broad TMT or FS coverage with variable depth |
|
Senior delivery on all matters |
Work delegated to teams of varying experience |
|
Integrated regulatory, operator and advisory experience |
Limited practical or regulatory grounding |
|
Predictable, flexible engagement models |
Rigid, process-driven structures |
As a boutique, Bratby Law provides specialist regulatory depth, partner-level delivery and commercially aligned advice shaped by practical operator-side experience. Engagement models are flexible and predictable, including direct instruction, specialist co-counsel and fractional general counsel support.
Direct legal advice for telecoms, data and payment matters
Who this is for
Businesses, operators, platforms, technology companies and in-house legal teams requiring focused advice on discrete regulatory, commercial or transactional matters.
What the direct legal advice model provides
Partner-level advisory support on telecoms regulation, data protection, payments and complex technology or infrastructure transactions. Engagement is project-specific with no ongoing commitment.
How we support you
- Interpretation and application of Ofcom, ICO, FCA and broader regulatory frameworks
- Advice on compliance, licensing, security, governance and risk
- Support on drafting, negotiation and execution of technology and telecoms agreements
- Strategic regulatory insight on how regulation impacts business models, product development and infrastructure projects
Specialist co-counsel for telecoms, data and payments matters
Who this is for
We support law firms and consultancies with deep subject-matter expertise in telecoms, data protection and payments regulation, strengthening their transactional, advisory and contentious capabilities without competition risk or internal conflict.
What this model provides
Specialist regulatory and transactional support delivered either as white-label input or clearly attributed expertise. This model gives firms access to niche telecoms, data protection and payments regulation capability without competition risk or internal conflict.
How we support you
- Regulatory input for major transactions and due-diligence exercises
- Expert review of sector-specific contractual frameworks
- Advisory and contentious support, including Ofcom, ICO and FCA-related matters
- Independent second-opinion reviews and strategic guidance
Fractional general counsel for telecoms, technology, data and payments businesses
Who this is for
We provide embedded general counsel support for telecoms, technology and data-driven businesses requiring ongoing senior legal leadership. The model offers predictable access to strategic advice across governance, compliance, commercial contracting and regulatory risk.
What this model provides
A predictable monthly retainer providing board-level input on regulatory, commercial, technology and operational matters. This model integrates senior legal oversight into business planning, governance and product decision-making.
How we support you
- Strategic legal leadership across telecoms, data and payment issues
- Governance, compliance and risk frameworks
- Product advisory, commercial contracting and regulatory readiness
- Coordination of external counsel and prioritisation of legal work
- Board-level reporting and engagement
Ready to discuss your matter?
Telecoms, data protection and payments regulation lawyers
Bratby Law advises on telecoms regulation, data protection, payments regulation and transactions across the communications, financial services and technology sectors.
Regulation
We advise on regulation across the telecoms, data and payments sectors. Our work covers telecoms regulation, data protection and data governance, payments regulation, consumer protection, market entry, ongoing compliance, regulator engagement, investigations and enforcement.
What clients say about Bratby Law:
How we work
Direct Legal Advice | Specialist Co-counsel | Fractional General Counsel