Steven Strassheim

Expertise Steven advises on... Experience highlights Career History Testimonials

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Technology

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Expertise

Steven Strassheim is a technology lawyer and general counsel who focuses on helping clients to develop, buy and sell tech-enabled products and services. He assists with a broad range of technology and commercial contracts, particularly those relating to IT, software, electronics and consumer products. He also advises clients in the related fields of IP licensing, legal strategy and data protection.

Steven has 25 years of international experience in technology and law. A dual-qualified professional, he is both an English-qualified lawyer and a UK Chartered Engineer, having begun his career as a software developer in Cambridge and California before switching to the law.

As a senior technology lawyer, Steven has a clear understanding of the tech sector based on broad and deep experience in a variety of roles, ranging from consultant software engineer to General Counsel of a private equity backed international consumer products business. Steven is also an entrepreneur, having founded and operated a boutique law firm in the five years prior to joining gunnercooke.

Steven speaks fluent legal and techie and has a deep interest in emerging technologies. He is friendly, curious and loves to help scaling businesses get legals done safely and at pace. His in-house leadership experience means that advice is clear, commercial and solutions-based, with unflinching focus on stakeholder requirements.

Steven advises on...

Companies that develop, buy or sell tech-enabled goods and services. He has a particular focus on scaling tech businesses, particularly those with private equity or venture capital backing.

Steven’s clients operate in a wide range of sectors including:

– IT & Managed Services
– Software as a Service (e.g., platforms such as Fintech, HR-tech and Risk-tech)
– Cloud services, IoT and Edge computing
– Semiconductors and AI
– Professional Services
– Financial Services

Experience highlights

  • As Head of Legal for a UK fintech platform provider, drafting and negotiating various ‘material outsourcing’ agreements for the provision of retail savings management technologies and services to a number of FCA-regulated UK client banks
  • Acting for various scaling VC and P/E-backed SaaS platform providers on a range of commercial contracts, including drafting and negotiating SaaS customer contracts, negotiating agreements for provision of overseas developer resource and advising on various strategic third-party IP licences to facilitate product feature set growth
  • Serving as General Counsel for a private equity backed consumer products brand, with global responsibility for legal strategy and all legal services provision, including international M&A and IP strategy and the legal team’s contribution to the successful sale of the business
  • Drafting and negotiating, for a global insurer, an agreement for the development, provision, reselling and support of a hosted risk management solution for the UK market
  • Acting for an Asia-headquartered IoT vendor on various technology contracts, including advising on proposed partnering terms with a global PC equipment manufacturer and developing standard UK customer terms for IoT software stack licensing and support
  • Advising a start-up UK telecoms operator on its proposed contract with a global tech vendor in relation to consumer premises equipment supplies and associated software and support;

Career History

In-House Experience

— General Counsel, Mayborn Group (2014 – 2017)
— Head of Legal, Newcastle Strategic Solutions & Newcastle Building Society (2011-2014)
— Corporate Counsel (Europe), EchoStar Corporation (2008 – 2011)
— Commercial Lawyer, BT plc (2007 – 2008)
— IPR & Licensing Engineer, Pace Micro Technology plc (1998 to 2001)

Previous Law Firms

  • Modular Law – Founder & Director of boutique tech-focused law firm (2018 – 2023)
  • Pinsent Masons – Solicitor in tech, outsourcing and commercial practice (2002 – 2007)

Education

  • Master of Engineering, Microelectronics & Software Engineering, Newcastle University (1st Class)
  • New Graduate Engineer Prize, Royal Academy of Engineering, London, UK
  • Post-graduate Diploma in Law, University of Huddersfield (Distinction)
  • Post-graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, University of Law (Commendation)

Professional Certifications and Memberships

  • Solicitor, England & Wales (qualified in 2004)
  • Chartered Engineer (CEng), UK (qualified in 2002)
  • Member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET)
  • Member of the Law Society of England and Wales
  • Member of the Society for Computers and Law (SCL)

Expertise

Back to top

Steven Strassheim is a technology lawyer and general counsel who focuses on helping clients to develop, buy and sell tech-enabled products and services. He assists with a broad range of technology and commercial contracts, particularly those relating to IT, software, electronics and consumer products. He also advises clients in the related fields of IP licensing, legal strategy and data protection.

Steven has 25 years of international experience in technology and law. A dual-qualified professional, he is both an English-qualified lawyer and a UK Chartered Engineer, having begun his career as a software developer in Cambridge and California before switching to the law.

As a senior technology lawyer, Steven has a clear understanding of the tech sector based on broad and deep experience in a variety of roles, ranging from consultant software engineer to General Counsel of a private equity backed international consumer products business. Steven is also an entrepreneur, having founded and operated a boutique law firm in the five years prior to joining gunnercooke.

Steven speaks fluent legal and techie and has a deep interest in emerging technologies. He is friendly, curious and loves to help scaling businesses get legals done safely and at pace. His in-house leadership experience means that advice is clear, commercial and solutions-based, with unflinching focus on stakeholder requirements.

Steven advises on...

Back to top

Companies that develop, buy or sell tech-enabled goods and services. He has a particular focus on scaling tech businesses, particularly those with private equity or venture capital backing.

Steven’s clients operate in a wide range of sectors including:

– IT & Managed Services
– Software as a Service (e.g., platforms such as Fintech, HR-tech and Risk-tech)
– Cloud services, IoT and Edge computing
– Semiconductors and AI
– Professional Services
– Financial Services

Experience highlights

Back to top
  • As Head of Legal for a UK fintech platform provider, drafting and negotiating various ‘material outsourcing’ agreements for the provision of retail savings management technologies and services to a number of FCA-regulated UK client banks
  • Acting for various scaling VC and P/E-backed SaaS platform providers on a range of commercial contracts, including drafting and negotiating SaaS customer contracts, negotiating agreements for provision of overseas developer resource and advising on various strategic third-party IP licences to facilitate product feature set growth
  • Serving as General Counsel for a private equity backed consumer products brand, with global responsibility for legal strategy and all legal services provision, including international M&A and IP strategy and the legal team’s contribution to the successful sale of the business
  • Drafting and negotiating, for a global insurer, an agreement for the development, provision, reselling and support of a hosted risk management solution for the UK market
  • Acting for an Asia-headquartered IoT vendor on various technology contracts, including advising on proposed partnering terms with a global PC equipment manufacturer and developing standard UK customer terms for IoT software stack licensing and support
  • Advising a start-up UK telecoms operator on its proposed contract with a global tech vendor in relation to consumer premises equipment supplies and associated software and support;

Career History

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In-House Experience

— General Counsel, Mayborn Group (2014 – 2017)
— Head of Legal, Newcastle Strategic Solutions & Newcastle Building Society (2011-2014)
— Corporate Counsel (Europe), EchoStar Corporation (2008 – 2011)
— Commercial Lawyer, BT plc (2007 – 2008)
— IPR & Licensing Engineer, Pace Micro Technology plc (1998 to 2001)

Previous Law Firms

  • Modular Law – Founder & Director of boutique tech-focused law firm (2018 – 2023)
  • Pinsent Masons – Solicitor in tech, outsourcing and commercial practice (2002 – 2007)

Education

  • Master of Engineering, Microelectronics & Software Engineering, Newcastle University (1st Class)
  • New Graduate Engineer Prize, Royal Academy of Engineering, London, UK
  • Post-graduate Diploma in Law, University of Huddersfield (Distinction)
  • Post-graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, University of Law (Commendation)

Professional Certifications and Memberships

  • Solicitor, England & Wales (qualified in 2004)
  • Chartered Engineer (CEng), UK (qualified in 2002)
  • Member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET)
  • Member of the Law Society of England and Wales
  • Member of the Society for Computers and Law (SCL)
Testimonials