I am a director specialising in advising clients on risk management and disputes in the technology, outsourcing and communications sectors. I often work alongside colleagues on major IT procurement outsourcing deals.

Tel: +44 (0)121 629 1884

Email: patrick_arben@wragge.com

Best brains in

Providing timely strategic and tactical advice to the suppliers and users of IT products and services, helping them resolve disputes in a cost effective manner. Most of the cases I am asked to assist in are resolved without the need for litigation. When litigation is unavoidable I have considerable experience of planning and project managing large-scale multi-party litigation.

Highlight of your career so far?

Acting for a global IT consultancy in the defence of a £40 million claim arising from the implementation of an on line legal case management system. We helped the client devise and execute a strategy which resulted in the case being satisfactorily resolved following a mediation.

Most challenging job you've ever done?

I was part of a team which acted on behalf of the defendants in a very substantial and emotive piece of multi-party litigation. It involved dozens of lay and expert witnesses and the trial took over six months. We worked very hard to maintain our energy for what was an all-consuming exercise.

What about outside the UK?

Many of my clients are multi-nationals with substantial over-seas operations.

I have particular experience of resolving disputes where business processes have been off-shored to India. Off-shoring services can bring substantial business benefits, but also has its challenges. I have worked with clients to resolve disputes involving the provision of IT services from offshore development centres and have helped clients manage the associated risks.

What's your definition of going the extra mile ……. And when have you done it?

I was acting for a transatlantic automotive business in a 'bet the company' dispute with its outgoing supplier of outsourced data services. The supplier was effectively holding my client's data to ransom in order to extract grossly inflated termination fees. We worked round-the-clock to prepare an application for emergency relief from the court, but we never gave up talking to the supplier. By negotiating through the night we reached a deal which secured my client's data and guaranteed its business continuity.

Best example of a creative legal solution?

In a dispute situation the challenge is always to persuade the lawyers on the other side that we are right and then help them sell the deal to their clients. I am always looking for a way in which this can be achieved. I acted for the supplier of software and IT solutions to the insurance industry in a dispute with a joint venture partner. The partner and its advisers were irrational and unpredictable. By using mediation and choosing a mediator with the right skill-set to bring the parties together, we were able to achieve a solution which not only settled the dispute but also preserved a cordial working relationship between the joint venture partners.

When have you ever given a client a real competitive edge?

I developed a unique risk management product called AUDIT. It is designed to help suppliers and customers avoid and manage risks and liabilities which commonly occur in IT and outsourcing projects.

What's your single greatest contribution to Wragge & Co's corporate responsibility?

A member of the Solicitors Pro Bono Group, I have undertaken various matters on a voluntary basis. These matters can be anything from advising a small charity on a lease hire agreement for a new mini bus to acting for a farmer who's daughter was killed in a car accident. She was a talented singer songwriter and I helped him protect the copyright in her work after her music was published posthumously.

What's been written or said about you that you're most proud of?

"You can rely on Patrick to provide consistently high quality legal advice, quickly and without fuss. He has very good judgement."