Sale of Data Centres
We provide comprehensive legal support for the acquisition or sale of data centres, guiding clients through the complexities of M&A, compliance with regulatory requirements, and negotiation of terms to ensure a smooth transaction.

We assist clients with the negotiation of architect design agreements and construction contracts, ensuring clear terms and protecting your interests throughout the development process. 

Our legal team also supports securing financing for your project or your wider business portfolio, to ensure that your data centre project is fully funded and executed efficiently.

Hyperscaler 
As hyperscaler data centres are being developed at pace, the increasing scale of these developments demands deep commitment from all supporting teams to deliver a successful project. We specialise in advising you on all the different angles you need to consider to ensure successful development of your hyperscaler project. 

Operational Agreements
We assist in drafting and negotiating agreements essential to data centre operations, including telecommunications contracts, equipment purchase and lease agreements, and cloud outsourcing arrangements. Our role ensures that these contracts are legally sound, align with your operational requirements, and provide clear terms to mitigate potential risks.

Infrastructure and Redundancy
Legal considerations extend to the physical infrastructure of data centres. In addition to power supply we advise on agreements related to fibre connectivity and water usage, ensuring that these agreements support the creation of redundant systems. This redundancy is crucial for maintaining continuous operations and meeting service level expectations.

Data Privacy and Sovereignty
When selecting a data centre location, it's imperative to consider data privacy and sovereignty requirements. We provide guidance on how the chosen location impacts compliance with international data protection laws, such as the GDPR. Understanding these implications helps ensure that your data handling practices meet the legal standards of the jurisdictions involved.

Sustainability and Environmental Considerations
Sustainability is increasingly integral to data centre operations. We advise clients on aligning with environmental regulations and sustainability goals, including the integration of renewable energy sources, consideration of water supply environmental impacts, and compliance with energy efficiency standards.

We support organisations who are moving to outsourced IT solutions or looking at using data centres for the first time to manage the legal risks in making this change.

We can help you negotiate cloud outsourcing agreements as part of your IT solutions, ensuring you have appropriate protection for your business critical applications, and working with you to address data privacy and jurisdiction issues, to successfully implement your data centre outsourcing.

We assist data centre operators in developing a robust power strategy, ensuring that all energy procurement agreements are legally sound, and are aligned with your operational needs and sustainability goals. We help you to create the contractual framework for essential power infrastructure, addressing key issues such as grid access and power supply, and securing backup power solutions to ensure continuity of operations. 

We also support operators in negotiating power purchase agreements (PPAs) and other contracts to facilitate the adoption of renewable energy and provide longer term certainty on power pricing. This includes assessing the legal implications of sourcing energy from wind, solar, or hybrid solutions, and considering co-location options for the sites.

Finding and securing the right site is a key step in building or expanding a data centre. We help clients buy land or existing buildings and ensure all their legal boxes are ticked from contracts and planning rules to environmental checks. We handle the negotiation of leases, co-location agreements and service level agreements (SLAs), making sure the terms work for your business and reduce future risks.

Project planning goes beyond the land itself. We advise on access to power, network infrastructure and supply chain needs, all of which are crucial from the start. Our team helps clients manage planning approvals, development funding, tax matters and any available government incentives. We also deal with environmental issues like water permits and site remediation, helping to keep your project compliant and on track.