Emma Ball leads the Manchester office’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice.
She has broad experience in drafting, negotiating and advising on all manner of commercial agreements, including property and facilities management agreements; distribution and agency agreements; supply agreements; manufacturing agreements; outsourcing agreements, software as a service (SaaS); and large-scale IT procurements. She regularly advises on noncontentious intellectual property matters, including IP licensing, assignments and collaboration.
Emma has particular expertise advising the hospitality, leisure and travel industry. She has first-hand industry experience, having worked in-house for three years at MyTravel Group plc and then Thomas Cook upon their merger. During this time, she was responsible for the approval of sales and promotional materials generated by the tour operating and retail businesses, as well as for data protection compliance, and travel and consumer law compliance, and frequently gave advice on general commercial contracts, and operational and trading issues of the business. She advises clients in the hotel and leisure industry on travel law compliance and various commercial matters, including franchise agreements, hotel management agreements and brand licensing agreements.
Following outstanding client feedback, Emma was named as a star lawyer in the Acritas Stars global database: “Emma dug us out of a hole when we were in a very difficult place and was endlessly patient with our queries. She dealt with us in an efficient, effective manner, and helped head off a very difficult situation.”
Advising a major regeneration developer, upon the establishment of a joint venture with Homes England and an institutional investor for the delivery of over £800 million of mixed use residential development, on the underlying services agreements for property management, development management and joint venture services.
Developing a bespoke SaaS agreement for an international healthcare client, and project managing local law data protection and regulatory compliance advice across Europe, Dubai and the US.
Advising clients in the hotel, sports and entertainment sectors on compliance with the Package Travel Regulations.
Acting as lead external legal adviser to a global vending machine business on its acquisition of the UK full-service vending business of Coca-Cola. Advising the client and leading on the negotiations of the key legal documents, including a business purchase agreement, equipment lease agreement and product supply agreement.
Negotiating and advising on a 25-year management agreement, and sales and marketing agreement, for the operation of a world-class music arena.
Advising a private healthcare company on the purchase of two multimillion-euro portable clinical trailers.
Advising a European hotel group on its operating agreements, technical services agreements, brand licensing and centralised services agreements and on the procurement of a reservation and property management software system.
Acting for a well-known luxury department store on the procurement of an IT solution together with payment processing services for online, app and in-store sales.
Advising a major high street bank on the purchase of two multimillion-pound business critical mainframe servers.
Advising a leading technology expert in the field of commercial vehicles on the commercial exploitation of proprietary technology and intellectual property via a joint venture strategic alliance.
Advising and project managing multinational legal advice for a suite of terms and conditions to be used across multiple European jurisdictions for the sale and procurement of goods and services for two international clients.
Advising an international manufacturer and supplier of gym equipment on the appointment of distributors throughout the EU, and drafting the contractual documentation to govern the arrangement.
“Emma Ball takes no nonsense and cuts right to the heart of issues. She presents commercially sensible and pragmatic solutions.” Legal 500