Francesca Longsworth

I am a senior associate in the Tech Transactions team in London, advising our clients on a range of complex and strategic technology contracts.

Since qualifying at Bird & Bird in 2016, I have worked on a wide range of technology and commercial projects, acting for both suppliers and customers, with a particular focus on strategic and transformational projects for clients in the media, retail and sports sectors.

I regularly advise our clients in relation to agreements for software licensing, development and support services, SaaS and cloud based technologies, and network infrastructure arrangements.
I have a particular interest in e-commerce and the various agreements that are required by businesses to implement their e-commerce strategy, and have authored a chapter in The Franchise Law Review on e-commerce and Franchising.

My work to-date, including spending time on secondment as part of in-house legal teams, has allowed me to gain a good understanding of the market as well as an appreciation of our clients' concerns and how to best meet their needs.

I am passionate about diversity and inclusion in the legal sector and co-chair StandOUT, Bird & Bird's LGBTQ+ network.

• Advising a Football Club from RfP issue to contract signature for the procurement of a new digital solution, to transform the Club's digital presence and leverage its fan data. The digital transformation included the development of a new website, mobile app, and the creation and management of data lakes to store all relevant fan data for use in the Club's loyalty programme, personalised marketing, and business analytics.
• Acting as the lead associate advising and negotiating an agreement for the procurement of a SaaS platform for the auction of high value raw materials.
• Advising a global defence company on multi-billion pound contracts for the build and delivery of naval vessels, working closely with the client's legal and commercial teams.