A commercial law firm that does not bill by the hour

Patricia is a corporate and commercial solicitor whose practice centres on mergers and acquisitions, early-stage investment rounds, particularly angel and pre-seed, and the commercial agreements that underpin high-growth businesses. She trained at DLA Piper and has since held a series of in-house counsel roles, advising FTSE 100 companies, public bodies and private clients.

As Legal Service Director at Lawyerly, Patricia leads service delivery for a client base weighted towards technology and AI. She takes founders and investors through funding rounds, structures acquisitions, and negotiates the subscription agreements, technology licences and partnership arrangements that scale-ups depend on. Her grounding in data protection, intellectual property and regulatory work means she can run every strand of a technology transaction, keeping it moving and the valuation intact.

James is a commercial and corporate solicitor whose practice centres on commercial contracts, technology and intellectual property, and disputes. He practised at Pinsent Masons and EY Law and in a series of in-house roles, leading SaaS and software licensing negotiations, due diligence on acquisitions, and commercial litigation on high-value matters with international parties.

As Commercial Solicitor at Lawyerly, James brings that range to growing businesses that want advice of that standard without the apparatus of a traditional firm. He negotiates and manages contracts, advises on technology and intellectual property, and helps clients head off the disputes that derail growth. His particular strength in contract management and technology law means he can tighten a company's commercial framework and reduce its legal risk as it scales.

Isabelle is a corporate and commercial solicitor with seven years' post-qualification experience across private practice and in-house roles.

She trained and qualified at Nelsons, where she advised owner-managed businesses, management teams and investors on share and asset sales, acquisitions and reorganisations. She was named the Law Society's Junior Lawyer of the Year in 2020. She then joined Shoosmiths, working on domestic and cross-border M&A, private equity and restructuring transactions.

Isabelle later moved in-house, first with a private lender and then with a large transport group. There she advised on technology and SaaS agreements, procurement, data protection, governance and finance matters.

At Lawyerly, Isabelle advises clients across commercial and corporate matters. She is known for clear, practical advice that weighs legal risk against the commercial objective.

Jackie has spent twenty years working on how legal services reach the people and businesses that need them. Before co-founding Lawyerly she built and led one of Africa's largest alternative legal organisations, growing it to more than 300 people serving 100,000 clients, and her work there was recognised in legal services, technology, innovation and dispute resolution. She holds a PhD, awarded with distinction, and has been named among the top five women in legal technology.

At Lawyerly she is responsible for the firm's strategic direction. Her starting point has not changed in two decades: the law should work for the people who use it, rather than the other way round. That view shapes how Lawyerly is run, from how services are priced to how matters are staffed.

Willem co-founded Lawyerly after twenty years of running and advising businesses, most of which were spent as a client of law firms rather than a member of one. He had seen how legal advice tends to arrive: late, priced by the hour, and detached from the commercial decision that prompted it. Lawyerly grew out of a conviction that it could be done differently.

He read law and marketing at university and later completed MIT Sloan's executive programme in artificial intelligence and business strategy. His career before Lawyerly took in two advertising agencies, which he led through the industry's move to digital, several years in digital publishing, and a period in international development, working on programmes across South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

At Lawyerly he is responsible for growth and for the client experience, ensuring our clients receive the legal support they need. 

Monique is a commercial lawyer with more than twelve years' experience, most of it at a large alternative legal services provider. Her work has spanned mediation and dispute resolution, corporate governance, contract law and technology law, with particular depth in due diligence on acquisitions, employment law and intellectual property disputes.

At Lawyerly, Monique drafts, reviews and negotiates commercial agreements for UK clients, including services agreements, technology and SaaS contracts, confidentiality agreements and partnership agreements, and advises on transactional, contractual and regulatory matters. She also supports clients on employment, intellectual property, data protection and compliance, working alongside the firm's solicitors.

Alexa is a commercial lawyer with more than six years' experience in commercial litigation and commercial practice, at firms specialising in corporate, commercial and dispute resolution work. Her work has spanned contract drafting, litigation, mediation and arbitration, with particular depth in commercial agreements and the management of disputes.

At Lawyerly, Alexa drafts, reviews and negotiates commercial agreements, including services and supplier agreements, shareholders' agreements, franchise agreements and settlement agreements, and advises on transactional, contractual and dispute-related matters, working alongside the firm's solicitors.

Jan began his career in law before broadening into corporate strategy and technology. He holds a Master's in Corporate Law and an MBA, and later completed a Master's in Applied Data Science, driven by a conviction that the legal profession could do far more with the data it generates. That combination of legal, commercial, and analytical training has shaped a career spent rethinking how legal services are designed and delivered, with a particular focus on projects that use data and digital tools to improve legal processes.

As a director of Lawyerly, Jan is responsible for data and analytics, financial management and strategy, and brings legal grounding, commercial judgement and technical fluency to how the firm is run.

Carel has spent over a decade in alternative legal services, focused on building commercial models that make quality legal support accessible.

As CEO of a major legal services company, he developed the product and partnership frameworks that allowed the business to scale, while keeping client experience at the centre. His background spans financial planning, business development and strategic partnerships.

At Lawyerly, he brings that commercial and operational depth to how we structure our service and build long-term client relationships.

Sandiswa has over a decade of experience in the legal sector, progressing from legal assistant to paralegal across multiple practice areas at a large legal firm. She has worked across a broad range of matters, with a particular focus on intellectual property, and also worked as a training coordinator, mentoring new talent through the practical realities of legal work. She holds a National Diploma in Paralegal Studies.

At Lawyerly, Sandiswa works as a legal assistant, supporting our solicitors on client matters including intellectual property work. She understands how legal processes work from the inside, which means she can explain things clearly, keep matters moving and make sure nothing gets missed.