Clive Halperin

Clive Halperin

Areas: Corporate & Commercial,
Intellectual Property & Media,
Technology & Internet Law,
Data Protection & Privacy,
Trademarks

“My clients want to understand what matters – what’s important when it comes to meeting their commercial and strategic objectives,” Clive explains. “I help them find the answers to enable them achieve their goals or protect their interests.”

How does he do that? “It’s about finding the right solution,” he responds. “Legal knowledge is assumed, of course, so what differentiates you is your ability to combine that with your understanding of the client, their objectives and your ability to find a pathway through. Really, it comes down to developing the legal and commercial tactics that get them where they want to be.” Clive’s clients have described it as ‘magicking a solution’.

Breadth and depth of expertise

Clive’s expertise encompasses company law including mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, shareholder and partnership structures and dispute resolution strategies.

He advises on all forms of commercial, technology and e-commerce law, with particular expertise in the media and sport sectors.  He advises on franchises, acting for large franchisees of multinational brands and for master franchisees negotiating bespoke master franchise agreements. And he works with clients on commercial issues including structuring, ownership, licensing and management of Intellectual Property (IP) rights and trademarks.

Tailored advice

Clive is all too aware that for many legal problems there’s an internet-searchable, template-based solution. “There’s so much available,” he says, “but none of it is tailored. You can download a template privacy statement, for example, but most people wouldn’t know whether they need everything that’s in there. Nor would they know what’s missing – which could be crucial.

“The same is true of a shareholder agreement: the agreement you need when you’re the same age as your partner is very different from the one, you’ll need if your partner is likely to retire ten years before you.”

“What I bring to the table is that combination of legal and commercial expertise to know what really matters. Then I apply it so that my clients can protect their interests or fully exploit the commercial value of them.”

A love of learning

Clive recognises he has had, “an unusual pathway to law. I studied and qualified as a pharmacist. I’m still a pharmacist. I love technology. And I enjoy the lifelong learning of the law. In my area you can’t get comfortable because there’s always a new data protection law, a new company law, a new consumer rights law. It forces you to think. You can’t just rely on your experience.”

Qualifications & Experience

Clive attended Kings College, University of London (B Pharm (Hons)) 1989 and qualified as a solicitor in 1994. He joined GSC in 1998 and became a partner in 1999.

He is a member of The Society of Computers & Law and The Royal Pharmaceutical Society.