After a successful career as a design agency owner I am now specialising in Tax and Intellectual Property law at Smith and Partners.

I am a key member of the commercial team at Smith and Partners, having joined the firm after a successful career as a design agency owner. My clients have confidence in me because of my unique combination of down-to-earth communication skills, strategic thinking and discipline honed from working with business owners and company directors for more than 30 years.

I advise clients on their legal position in the negotiating and structuring of, and agreements for, all kinds of commercial transactions. This includes the sale and purchase of businesses and other capital assets, as well as leasing, supply and licensing or distribution arrangements.

I help clients with all forms of contracting between parties, including drafting of new contracts and interpretation of existing contracts. Whether it’s a franchise agreement, a contract for service or your business terms of trade, I provide a pragmatic, commercial view – all the while aiming to mitigate your risk.

I have a particular interest in the tax and intellectual property implications of commercial transactions. The nature of modern business means intellectual property forms a large component of the value being exchanged and it is important to understand how it is created and and how to protect it. I am also regularly engaged by clients with trade mark or copyright issues, including resolving questions around ownership and infringement.

My background in the creative industries gives me insight into the marketing and commercial priorities intellectual property owners have regarding protecting and enforcing their IP rights. My unique hybrid law/design expertise combined with Smith and Partners’ commercial legal approach means clients receive top level, insightful advice and implementation.

The examples of legal writing under articles will be updated from time to time, in the meantime my CV is below and I can be contacted here.

Bret Gower CV

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Law

Law is a system of rules that are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior. Laws can be made by a collective legislature or by a single legislator, resulting in statutes, by the executive through decrees and regulations, or by judges through binding precedent, normally in common law jurisdictions. The law shapes politics, economics, history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of relations between people. [1]

Design

One definition for design is a roadmap or a strategic approach for someone to achieve a unique expectation. It defines the specifications, plans, parameters, costs, activities, processes and how and what to do within legal, political, social, environmental, safety and economic constraints in achieving that objective. [2]