In the Innovation ecosystem
It begins with our physical presence (still important in an increasingly virtual world). In the UK we are in London, Cambridge and Oxford, the acknowledged hubs of British innovation, commerce and research excellence. Overseas we are in centres of innovation, high growth and wealth, including Israel, Middle East, Hong Kong and Singapore. Our reach and network in this ecosystem are global.
This network is not just geographical. It connects us to founders, management teams and families; to expertise beyond the law; to ideas; to academia; to wider civil society; and to capital. We work with clients that span the innovation community: from multinational corporates to start-ups and university research institutes.
In each case we deliver what they need to get the most out of this ecosystem. For corporates, this can mean transforming entire parts of their business or moving with sufficient speed to maximise opportunities.
We deliver strategically important transactions. We are involved in 17% of UK venture capital fundraising, working with founders, emerging companies, VCs, investors and accelerators. We work with clients from incorporation through nine-figure funding rounds to eventual exit.
By combining our expertise and insight (both in law and data science) with our network, we can identify emerging areas of significant innovation sooner.
A distinct integrated approach
No area of law exists in a vacuum. At any given moment it touches a whole range of things. It may start with guiding you through the rigours of several rounds of funding before making sure that nothing to do with employment, data, IP, risk management or wealth protection distracts you. In particular, IP and data - innovation’s most valuable assets - will need strategies for protection, enforcement and commercialisation.
Successful innovators need to know they have this 360-degree support and advice behind them. If required, we have one of the largest and most experienced dispute resolution teams in London (over half the firm’s lawyers are litigators). We have more than 40 disputes services to safeguard and protect businesses and individuals at every stage of their growth: from protecting IP and data security to employer tribunals and shareholder and wealth disputes.
As ever this is allied to our fundamental principles of client care; we will fiercely guard your interests; we commit to delivering at the edge of what is possible. That is critical for individuals and businesses in the innovation economy. The result is a breadth of offering to resolve disputes swiftly or better still to avoid them becoming an issue in the first place.
We are well-versed in the dynamics and politics of families, family businesses and (sudden) wealth through our private client practice. Post-exit we provide a range of services (succession planning, trusts, reputation management) to navigate the pitfalls that wealth can bring. Finally, our family office consultancy, MDR Mayfair, can help ensure a successful legacy for your life’s work.
Other firms do some of these things, but it is the completeness of the support we provide, that allows businesses and individuals to thrive. It’s what marks us, and in turn our clients, out as distinct.
It's about commitment
Innovation is inherently risky. We believe that innovators draw strength from their partners’ commitment. Commitment has always been part of our DNA. “It’s business. But it’s personal.” That’s why our clients’ aims, ambitions and challenges are also ours. We are personally invested. We enter into relationships for the long term, dedicated from incorporation to corporation.
Innovators ourselves
Our firm began when one man decided to go it alone in a small room over a bank in Brixton. We know what’s required to take the leap and build from the ground up, and we run the firm in the same forward-thinking way today. Many of our lawyers are also scientists or technologists and our team is made up of lawyers and non-legal experts.
We strengthen innovators and entrepreneurs further through the MDR Group of Consultancy Businesses, and we continue to invest in the future ourselves via MDR Lab and Mishcon PLUS. We also run more than 300 new courses each term through our own centre of in-house learning and new thinking, the Mishcon Academy. It means both Mishcon people and Mishcon clients are always up to speed with what’s new in business and tech.