A new kind of law firm

DraysonLaw was established to help organisations contract more effectively and at less cost. Much of the firm’s approach was born out of Charles Drayson’s experience as General Counsel for a large provider of outsourced services.

We believe in creating contracts which are:

• clear
• bespoke
• fair
• balanced

All our services & contracts are reflective of good industry practices. We believe in treating your trading partners with respect and consideration - not as adversaries in a gladiatorial contract battle.

We focus entirely on commercial contracts relating to IT. That means real industry knowledge and experience. Our charges are lower than other commercial law firms, and most projects are undertaken with fixed fees: we aren't rewarded for inefficiency.

For clients who write regular contracts (that’s most of our clients), we use HotDocs document automation software to create contract templates which can be re-used without needing a lawyer for each project. Get in touch to find out how we can help you reduce your costs, enhance your contracts and take control of their lifecycle.

Contact us

About us

DraysonLaw is different to other law firms because:

• We focus entirely on commercial contracts relating to IT.
• We understand technical issues and have worked in the IT industry.
• Most projects are undertaken with fixed fees regardless of how long the work takes. We are not rewarded for inefficiency.
• Our charges are lower than other commercial law firms. We don’t have their overheads.
• We use HotDocs document automation software to give clients the ability to create multiple documents, tailored to specific projects, without needing to use a lawyer.
• DraysonLaw has Lexcel accreditation. It’s a Law Society accreditation which is only awarded to solicitors who meet required standards of service. Not many firms have it.

Charles Drayson

The principal lawyer is Charles Drayson. Charles trained with one of the premiere law firms in London and has also spent some years as the in-house lawyer for a large outsourcing services provider. He has specialised in work for the IT industry for about 15 years.

Charles is a member of the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management. He is a former winner of the Legal IT Award for Mitigating Risk Through the Use of IT.

‘‘

I’m working in my own law firm because I like the freedom to work on projects which interest me for clients I like. I don’t have to support the large overheads of large law firms so I don’t have to work under the tyranny of targets for ‘chargeable hours’ and utilisation rates. Sometimes, I’ll pop out in the middle of the day to go to the gym. But, then I may well be at my desk at 10pm to talk to another lawyer in a US time zone.

Drayson Law Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom. Our SRA number is 484950. We are a member of the Law Society of England and Wales and advice is provided by a qualified solicitor. We are also a member of the Society for Computers and Law.

Our Clients

Our clients vary from SMEs to large multinationals. What they all have in common is the IT industry and a desire to use credible, professional and clear contracts without burdening their organisation with high legal costs.

‘‘

…DraysonLaw was obviously experienced in dealing with large companies and gave us clear guidance rather than sitting on the fence. We had a fixed fee quote so I never felt that we were being steered down a path which would maximise their fees. Now that we have found a law firm which has shown pragmatically how to handle the contract issues which face our business, I have confidence that improving the way we write contracts will be manageable and worthwhile…

Anita Johnstone, Company Secretary, Qbase Data Services Limited

‘‘

We first saw DraysonLaw at work with one of our customers. Until then, we hadn't seen any law firm provide legal services in this way. As a company which specialises in using technology to support complex processes, we liked the idea of using a law firm which was moving in the same direction. But the main thing is that we get legal advice from a firm which knows its way around large software projects and we are not at the mercy of hourly rates…

Patrick Deen, Sales Director, eNate Limited

‘‘

…Having worked for and with law firms for much of my professional career, I got to know many lawyers and law firms. I was looking for a law firm which had the competency to do work which will be scrutinised by other lawyers but I also wanted to work with a law firm which would value the custom of a small business. Through my consulting, I spend a lot of time talking to law firms about the appropriate use of technology. DraysonLaw’s use of technology to leverage their legal expertise and reduce my legal costs is an example of what enlightened law firms can do…

Peter Owen, Managing Director, Lights-On Consulting Limited

‘‘

…Although we have the benefit of a fixed fee, the solutions adopted by DraysonLaw evolve to meet our changing needs and also the needs of our customers. It’s great to see a law firm challenging the traditional way of working while maintaining a professional approach…

Doug Sawers, CEO, Ceridian UK Limited

Our Services

The entire focus of Drayson Law is on business-to-business contracts for the IT and outsourcing services sector. Typical examples of projects undertaken include:

• Software licence agreements, including software licensed on a subscription basis as ‘software as a service’
• Software development agreements
• Outsourcing agreements
• Framework agreements for the supply of consulting and IT services
• Agreements for software maintenance and support
• Ancillary agreements typically needed by clients such as non-disclosure (confidentiality) agreement, contract assignments and novation, service level agreements
• Service descriptions
• Agreements for use with value added resellers (VARs), distributers, OEM users and systems integrators

In order to maintain our focus, we don’t usually work on contracts for the supply of products to individual consumers. Neither do we undertake any litigation work.

Quite often we have projects which require ancillary advice in relation to employment contracts, TUPE transfers, commercial property and sales/purchase of businesses. When that happens, DraysonLaw will team up with lawyers able to provide those services. We don’t dabble in areas outside our expertise.

Our charges

Let’s start with the figure most people want to know. To allow you to compare our fees with other law firms, our current hourly rate is £185. We haven’t increased that rate for a while because, despite inflation, we know that many of our clients are under costs pressures.

Mostly, we do work on the basis of fixed fees. We will describe the work we will undertake for the fixed fee, and typically that will include everything up to a particular stage in a project, or for the whole project. We can offer fixed fees because we have enough experience to know how long most projects will take.

Regular clients have a file which we call ‘Misc freebie advice’ – we are happy to help out with ad hoc help and advice without expecting to make any charge at all. Drayson Law clients do not get unexpected surprises. Clients invariably return with repeat work and we make sure that loyalty is never spoilt by uncommercial charges.

In return for promising good value and staying within budget, what we expect from all clients is prompt payment of our invoices.

Contact Us

You can call us on 08456 439 800.

If you prefer to email us directly, you can do so at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)