Legal support for strategy consultancies, regulatory economists and technology advisory firms working on telecoms, payments and data assignments. Your firm is advising a client on market entry, regulatory strategy, spectrum valuation, infrastructure investment or policy reform, and the project has a legal dimension that requires qualified input. We also draft substantive telecoms, data protection and payments content for developing market projects, including legislation, licences and spectrum auction processes, where local counsel handle compliance with local law but the regulatory substance requires specialist telecoms or payments expertise. We provide legal analysis, drafting and regulatory advice as part of your project team, not as a parallel workstream.

Who this is for

Your team is managing an extended programme of work that needs ongoing telecoms, data protection or payments regulatory input, but the volume does not justify a permanent hire? Or your project involves drafting regulatory instruments for a developing market and you need a specialist who can produce the telecoms or payments substance while local counsel verify compliance with local law? Consultant support provides a retained specialist who operates as part of your team on a flexible, ongoing basis.

Consultancy project type	Legal input required	Typical client
Spectrum auction strategy and valuation	Licence conditions analysis, spectrum cap assessment, regulatory risk in valuation models	Operator, regulator or investor
Market entry and regulatory mapping	Licensing requirements, General Conditions compliance, authorisation pathways	New entrant or foreign operator
Regulatory policy and consultation responses	Legal analysis of proposed regulation, drafting consultation submissions	Industry body, operator group or regulator
Infrastructure investment due diligence	Code powers, wayleave review, regulatory risk assessment for fibre or tower assets	PE fund or infrastructure investor
Payments regulatory strategy	FCA/PSR authorisation requirements, safeguarding, open banking regulatory analysis	Fintech, bank or payments scheme
Interconnection and access modelling	Regulatory framework for access pricing, SMP obligations, dispute resolution mechanisms	Operator or regulator
Licence drafting and regulatory submissions	Drafting licence applications, regulatory filings, compliance documentation	Operator or government
Developing market telecoms legislation	Drafting telecoms laws, regulatory frameworks and licensing regimes for new or reforming markets	Government, regulator or development agency
Spectrum auction design	Auction rules, licence conditions, spectrum cap design, award process documentation	Regulator, government or advisory firm

Typical triggers

• A strategy consultancy is advising a client on market entry into UK telecoms or payments and needs qualified legal input on General Conditions compliance, FCA authorisation or regulatory perimeter questions
• A regulatory economics firm is preparing an expert report on interconnection, access pricing or market definition and needs a lawyer to review the regulatory framework underpinning the analysis
• A technology advisory firm is supporting a client on a digital infrastructure project and the engagement involves wayleave agreements, the Electronic Communications Code or spectrum licensing
• A consultancy is advising an investor on a telecoms or payments target and needs a regulatory risk assessment to sit alongside the commercial due diligence
• A public policy firm is drafting a response to an Ofcom, FCA or PSR consultation and needs legal analysis of the specific statutory provisions and regulatory powers under discussion
• A consultancy needs a senior regulatory lawyer to join a client pitch or project team to demonstrate qualified legal capability alongside the advisory offering
• A government or development agency is reforming its telecoms or payments regulatory framework and needs a specialist to draft the substantive legislation, licensing regime or auction rules, with local counsel handling local law compliance
• An advisory firm is designing a spectrum auction process for a developing market regulator and needs specialist input on licence conditions, spectrum caps and award mechanisms
• A PE portfolio company needs temporary regulatory legal support during a transition period following an acquisition

What we deliver

• Regulatory analysis for client deliverables: the legal analysis that sits within your advisory report, strategy document or expert submission, drafted to integrate with your team’s output format and styled to your client’s requirements
• Legal review of advisory outputs: reviewing your team’s work product for legal accuracy on regulatory matters, including compliance assessments, market entry plans, policy papers and investor presentations
• Consultation responses and regulatory submissions: drafting or reviewing responses to Ofcom, FCA, PSR or ICO consultations, grounded in the relevant statutory provisions and regulatory precedent
• Regulatory due diligence input: the regulatory layer of a commercial due diligence exercise, covering licensing status, compliance history, enforcement record and pending regulatory change under the Communications Act 2003, PSRs 2017 or UK GDPR
• Expert report support: providing the regulatory legal framework section of an expert economic or policy report, ensuring statutory references, regulatory powers and legal terminology are accurate and current
• Developing market legislation and licence drafting: drafting the substantive telecoms, data protection or payments content of laws, regulations, licence templates and regulatory instruments for developing jurisdictions, working alongside local counsel who ensure compliance with local constitutional and administrative law requirements
• Spectrum auction process design: drafting auction rules, information memoranda, licence conditions and award documentation for spectrum auctions in developing markets, drawing on direct experience of auction design across multiple jurisdictions
• Project team participation: joining your project team for specific workstreams, client meetings or pitch processes where specialist legal input adds credibility and depth to the advisory proposition
• Flexible engagement model: daily rate, fixed fee or retained basis, scaled to the project scope and adjusted as the workstream develops

Rob Bratby works alongside management consultants and regulatory advisors, contributing specialist legal expertise developed at Oftel, Ofcom, as General Counsel to regulated businesses and through international telecoms and payments advisory work across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Bratby Law holds Chambers UK (Band 2) and Legal 500 Leading Partner rankings.

Need specialist legal input for your consultancy project?

If your firm needs qualified telecoms, data protection or payments regulatory input for a client engagement, we can join your project team and deliver to your format and timeline. Schedule an initial call to discuss how we can support your project.

Related specialist co-counsel pages

See also our other specialist co-counsel pages:

• Transactions Co-counsel
• English Law Local Counsel
• Specialist Co-counsel (overview)

Representative experience

Recent and representative matters include:

• Drafted telecoms licensing framework and spectrum award documentation for a developing market regulator, providing the substantive telecoms content alongside local counsel who verified compliance with local constitutional requirements.
• Provided retained telecoms regulatory support to an in-house legal team during a multi-year network upgrade programme, covering wayleave negotiations and Electronic Communications Code rights on a call-off basis.
• Acted as embedded regulatory consultant to a law firm advising on a series of connected payments transactions, providing consistent FCA authorisation and safeguarding advice across the programme.
• Drafted spectrum auction rules and licence conditions for a regulatory advisory firm supporting a developing market spectrum award, drawing on direct experience of auction design.
• Provided regulatory consultant support on a digital infrastructure rollout, covering planning consents, Code rights and regulatory compliance requirements across multiple deployment phases.
• Acted as retained data protection specialist for a firm advising multiple fintech clients, providing consistent UK GDPR compliance advice across the client portfolio.

Frequently asked questions about consultant support

How is consultant support different from co-counsel?

Co-counsel is for law firms that need a specialist regulatory lawyer to act alongside them on a transaction or advisory matter. Consultant support is for consultancies and advisory firms that need qualified legal input as part of a non-legal client engagement. We work within your project team and deliver to your direction, rather than acting as independent legal advisors to the end client.

What seniority level do you provide?

Rob Bratby delivers all consultant support directly. That means 30+ years of telecoms, data protection and payments regulatory experience on every engagement. This matters for consultancies, because your clients expect senior, qualified input when legal analysis forms part of the advisory deliverable.

Can you work under our firm’s brand?

Yes. On consultant support engagements we can work under your firm’s name if that suits the client relationship. We are experienced in operating within consultancy teams and adapting to your reporting structures, templates and project governance. The engagement terms set out the branding and client communication arrangements clearly at the outset.

What is the minimum engagement period?

There is no minimum. Some engagements are a single day’s input on a specific regulatory question. Others run for several months as part of a strategy project or regulatory reform programme. We agree the scope and duration at the outset and adjust as the workstream develops.

Do you draft legislation and licences for developing markets?

Yes. We draft the substantive telecoms, data protection and payments content of laws, regulations, licence templates and spectrum auction documentation for developing jurisdictions. Local counsel in the relevant country handle compliance with local constitutional and administrative law requirements. This model works because the telecoms and payments regulatory substance is specialist and transferable, while local law compliance requires in-country expertise.

Do you have experience working with strategy consultancies?

Yes. We have worked alongside telecoms and technology strategy consultancies, regulatory economics firms and public policy advisors on a range of engagements including market entry assessments, regulatory submissions, expert reports, spectrum auction design and infrastructure investment analysis. We understand the consultancy delivery model and how legal input needs to fit within it.

What clients say about Bratby Law:

Independent directory rankings

Our specialist expertise is recognised in major independent legal directories:

• Chambers & Partners: Rob Bratby is ranked as a band 2 lawyer in the UK Guide 2026 in the “Telecommunications” category: Chambers
• The Legal 500: Rob Bratby is listed as a “Leading Partner – Telecoms” in London (TMT – IT & Telecoms): The Legal 500
• Lexology: Rob Bratby is featured on Lexology’s expert profiles as a Global Elite Thought Leader for data: Lexology