About us
Wordsmith is a boutique corporate and commercial law firm based in the City of London.
We are all highly experienced professionals, with a long track record of working on complex and time critical deals. We provide value for money, pragmatic and sensible advice.
We all trained in world-class law firms and worked together for many years at one of the UK’s most successful City firms.
We are committed to delivering our advice personally throughout each transaction and to leveraging our depth of experience over many years to ensure our advice meets the commercial needs and requirements of our client.
Our client base includes FTSE 100 companies, a Fortune Global 500 Company, a NASDAQ telecoms company as well as large private multi-nationals, several private-equity backed businesses, family offices, private investors and start-ups.
Our Services
Investments through equity and shareholder loans
Share sales and purchases
Buy back of shares by companies
Business sales and purchases
Joint ventures
Capital reorganisations
Outsourcing (ITO and BPO)
Communications Networks
System Development
Software Development and Licensing
Software as a Service
Data Protection
Artificial Intelligence
Content Creation and Licensing
Strategic commercial contracts
Hotel Management Agreements
Brand Franchise Agreements
Property Management Agreements
Operating Joint Ventures
Our People
Advising on a large scale project to transform its enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions across its businesses worldwide.
Advising on the rollout of a new communications network covering more than 40,000 sites to support the UK National Lottery.
Advising on high-value supply chain and customer facing contracts in the print and digital services sector.
Advising on numerous high-value software, IT services and communications contracts.
Advising on managed network services, IT outsourcing and business process outsourcing contracts.
Richard Chapman
Partner
Richard has spent over 25 years as a commercial lawyer in international law firms, including 10 years as lead IT partner in Berwin Leighton Paisner’s highly-rated IT and commercial team.
Richard advises on a wide range of technology and commercial transactions, including outsourcing (ITO and BPO), managed services, managed telecommunications networks, system development and software licensing. He also advises on the commercial aspects of business sales. He has advised a huge range of businesses from start-ups to FTSE-100 and multi-national corporations.
Richard’s work leading on National Grid’s £1 billion IS Transformation Programme, a series of six major outsourcing deals, won the TMT award at the British Legal Awards 2011.
Richard has previously practised at Clifford Chance and Berwin Leighton Paisner. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Richard was a software engineer for a leading software house, designing and building software systems in the defence sector.
Richard has been recognised for many years as a leading lawyer by the legal directories:
“An unfussy low-key style and deep knowledge of complex technical issues”, “great to work with and has a wealth of knowledge in the IT space”
Legal 500
“Noted for his knowledge and experience of the IT industry. He is very thorough and hard-working say clients”, “a fantastically reliable common-sense lawyer, with a sophisticated knowledge of both legal issues and technical issues”
Chambers
Advising the famous live music venue and members club on its commercial and sponsorship work.
On its day to day commercial work including long term service agreements with its tier one bookmaking clients and betting affiliate arrangements for the Racing Post App.
Advising OCS, the global facilities services business on its IT procurement work.
Advising on its IT and technology agreements including the introduction of digital shelf edge pricing labels and data network agreements.
Advising the famous live music venue and members club on its commercial.
David Newton
Partner
David has spent over 30 years as a commercial lawyer in UK and international law firms, including 6 years in Berwin Leighton Paisner’s IT and commercial team where he first met and worked with the other Wordsmith partners.
David originally practised in entertainment and media law but since 2007 has focused on agreements covering all areas of technology, communications and media convergence. He also advises on copyright matters, specialising in digital content creation and licensing.
David has advised FTSE-100 companies, multi-national corporations and Government agencies as well as private companies large and small.
David also has in-house experience following secondments to Racing UK, a satellite sports broadcaster, Cisco Systems Inc and at magazine publisher, Time Inc.
Advising Founders and employee shareholders of Metro Safety Group Limited (MSG) upon the sale of a controlling interest in MSG, including advising continuing employee shareholders on the terms of their continued participation as stakeholders in MSG
Advising OBAR Camden Holdings Limited in relation to the equity funding by Sister Group Limited and its associates and the continued provision of shareholder loans to the company
Advising Geotech Developments Limited on the sale of its geothermal drilling assets to Kensa Group
Advising the founders and shareholders of OAC PLC (OAC) on the sale of the whole of the issued share capital of OAC to Broadstone Group and the demerger to selling shareholders of the company’s interest in Software Alliance Limited and various other assets of OAC.
Advising management on the MBO of the Pharmaspectra business backed by Inflexion Private Equity and the subsequent sale of the Pharmaspectra Topco Limited for over $100m.
Advising individual investor group on an SEIS/EIS qualifying investment in Infrastructure Software Solutions Limited (ISS) following demerger of Mobius software asset to ISS from IAConnects Technology Limited (IAC) and the subsequent acquisition by the investor group of an interest in a minority stake in IAC.
Peter Martin
Partner
Peter has spent over 35 years as a corporate lawyer advising private limited companies and limited liability partnerships, their owners, management and investors in equity fundraising and M&A transactions. In particular, Peter looks after owner-managed businesses, whether acting for the owner-managers themselves or for investors investing into the business. He has lengthy experience in the private equity/venture capital arena and also advises on the acquisition and sale of companies and business and also on start-ups and new businesses.
Peter’s work encompasses a number of different sectors from hotel and leisure, motor dealerships, media and telecommunications companies and consultancy businesses. He brings a vast experience to the table, conscious that in a number of cases this is the first time the clients have had to engage with lawyers when dealing with fundamental issues for their main business interest.
Peter was previously a corporate finance partner at Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP.
Advising Yonda Tax Limited on its £11m funding round led by Kennet Partners (December 2025)
Advising Nutun UK on its acquisition of an interest in QDR Solicitors Ltd (December 2025)
Advising Global Counsel Limited on a £5m investment into them by Jim Messina’s The Messina Group
Advising Beaufort Capital on the equity element of a £50m PBSA project
Jonathan Paisner
Partner
Jonathan advises corporates, family offices and founders on investments, acquisitions, disposals and joint ventures.
Jonathan qualified as a lawyer and subsequently worked for three years in the corporate department, at city law firm Berwin Leighton (now Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner). Jonathan conceived and suggested to the respective leaders of both firms the idea of Berwin Leighton merging with Paisner & Co, the law firm founded by Jonathan’s grandfather in the 1930s.
Jonathan left Berwin Leighton shortly before the successful merger of these two firms, and after a couple of years at a start-up venture capital firm, he became group general counsel and, later, a board director of a London Stock Exchange listed boutique investment bank where he worked for ten years, during a period of massive growth, helping run the bank’s operations in both the UK and Germany.
Jonathan has served as an executive and non-executive director of numerous companies, including fully listed and AIM-traded companies across multiple jurisdictions. Jonathan believes that his first-hand experience in business helps him guide clients commercially and efficiently.
“You held the team’s hand throughout and guided them through a tortuous process, your advice was sound, and you helped them stand their ground in negotiation. You were the hero of the transaction”
Archie Norman, chairman Global Counsel Limited, Marks & Spencer plc
Manchester City Football Club on the franchise agreement with Radisson for the 400 bedroom Medlock Hotel that is part of the £300m redevelopment of the Ethiad Stadium campus and on the management agreement for that Hotel with Valor Hospitality.
Millennial Developments Limited on a hotel management agreement for a 265 room Holiday Inn Express being developed in in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London as part of a regeneration scheme.
KKH Property Investors on management contracts for 2 EDITION branded hotels in Barcelona and Madrid, and a management contract for The Standard Ibiza, as well as the subsequent sales of these three hotels.
Henderson Park Capital on the franchise agreements for the Grand Hyatt Athens, the InterContinental Crete and the NIKO Seaside Resort Crete – MGallery, as well as on the hotel management agreements with Kokari for those hotels.
Axiom Hospitality on the acquisition from Land Securities of the LS Media City Hotel Limited which owns a lease of the 218 bedroom Holiday Inn Media City in Salford and on the renegotiation of the lease for the Hotel into a management lease.
Rhubarb Food Design on a management agreement for "The Market", the food court developed as part of the AXA 22 Bishopsgate tower development in the City of London and on a catering services agreement for the Vision Hall venue developed at the historic Camden Town Hall building.
Nick Skea-Strachan
Sector Specialist, Partner
Nick is a lawyer with over 20 years of experience as a hotels and leisure sector specialist at international law firms Pinsent Masons and Berwin Leighton Paisner.
He advises on management and operating contracts, franchises and other commercial contracts as well as acquisitions and disposals of hotels and other hospitality businesses. His work covers matters in the UK, Europe and the Middle East, acting for investors, developers, lenders and operators.
He is ranked as a Leading Individual in Legal 500 for work in the Hospitality Sector and is listed in Tier 1 of Chambers & Partners UK for the Hotels Sector.
“Nick has a deep understanding of hospitality but also carries a good knowledge of other relevant areas of the law. Above all else, he has the ability to be pragmatic”
Chambers and Partners UK 2025 – Hotels and Leisure
Emma Mervik
Consultant
Emma is a senior commercial contracts lawyer with over 20 years private practice and in-house experience. This includes 6 years at Berwin Leighton Paisner, where she first met and worked with the founder partners of Wordsmith. Whilst at BLP Emma completed a number of secondments including in house at Tesco plc.
After BLP, Emma spent 8 years as a senior member of the central legal team at Burberry, a FTSE 100 listed company. She was the lead lawyer for franchise agreements globally, whilst also advising on a wide range of commercial, regulatory and technology matters.
Since 2016 Emma has been the lead UK counsel for the UK’s leading Alternative Legal Services Provider business which was originated at BLP and was subsequently spun out as an independent business. Emma advises on a broad range of legal, regulatory and commercial matters. She reports directly to the board and has extensive experience in providing practical, pragmatic, in-house legal advice.
Emma regularly creates and presents training sessions to senior in-house lawyers and SQE trainees on topics ranging from commercial law updates, to IR35 tax compliance, to AI in the law.