Jorren is a commercial barrister with specialisms in public contracts and procurement, advisory and contentious competition law and State aid matters and data protection.
Jorren has spent time working as an employed barrister in a top-20 UK law firm and is recognised for his client-friendly approach and understanding of business objectives.
Commercial disputes
Jorren’s experience includes:
- GWE Business West v Bolton Business Ventures (Bristol Commercial Court, 2018): represented successful applicant for pre-action disclosure in relation to use of enterprise grant scheme funds
- Smart Parking v Solent NHS Trust (Manchester Mercantile Court, 2016): represented defendant in 3-day trial of claim for breach of hospital parking contract
- Representing a logistics provider defending a wrongful termination claim by its warehouse operator, achieving pre-trial drop-hands settlement
- Representing a seismic survey startup in commercial fraud and breach of contract claims against VC investors, resolved pre-trial
- Advising a local authority defending a quantum meruit claim for design and planning services provided during failed post-award public contract negotiations
- Advising an NHS body defending a claim for wrongful termination of a waste management contract, leading to successful settlement
Public contracts and procurement
Jorren represents clients in challenges to public procurement decisions, including:
- defending NHS procurement decisions in relation to healthcare services and construction contracts
- challenging a Ministry of Defence award of an engineering services contract
- challenging local authority awards in social care, construction and school catering
- challenging NHS awards in diagnostic services and catering
- challenging a utility company award in relation to pipeline supplies
Jorren also advises on the design and negotiation of public contracts, on the conduct of regulated procurement processes and on amendments to existing contracts. Jorren’s experience includes:
- advising a local authority on variations to the operations and financing of a GBP 500m waste PFI project
- preparing tender procedures and contract documentation for a local authority insurance procurement
- advising on public authority cooperation arrangements in healthcare, software development and tourism promotion
- advising a healthcare managed services provider on amendments to the terms of a framework agreement
Competition and State aid
Competition law disputes
Jorren represents clients in contentious competition matters, including:
- preparing and defending allegations of anticompetitive coordination – in construction supplies, photographic equipment, venture capital, electric vehicle charging
- preparing CMA complaints regarding abuse of dominance – in mobile phone software, graphics processing software, sports equipment
Vertical and horizontal cooperation
Jorren’s experience includes:
- Design and implementation of a selective distribution system complying with EU competition laws on behalf of a global electronics manufacturer
- Advising on distribution schemes in various sectors including cameras, kitchen appliances, toys
- Advising on competition law aspects of cooperation between institutional shareholders in the context of a company dispute
- Advising on joint tendering and consortium bids between competitors for large-scale public contracts
Mergers
Jorren has:
- advised on regulatory aspects of proposed corporate transactions in waste recycling, ophthalmic lenses, bicycle retail, acquisitions of train rolling stock
- worked as part of a team that secured CMA Phase II clearance based on a “failing firm” defence in Optimax/Ultralase
- worked as part of a team that secured CMA Phase I clearance for online vehicle data checking merger (HPI/Carweb)
State aid
Jorren regularly advises on State aid compliance in public sector projects and grant applications – including in relation to:
- implementation of devolved government tech sector policies
- creation of local authority trading companies in catering and tourism sectors
- joint investments by a local authority consortium in renewable energy projects
- university funding applications in medical research, business accelerator programs
- support packages for struggling care homes
- State aid compliance in new public contracts and amendments to existing public contracts
- structuring of Government subsidies to support climate change targets
- State aid compliance in a corporate support package provided by a German regional investment bank
- structuring of two public/private town centre regeneration projects to avoid unlawful State aid
Data protection
Jorren has:
- designed GDPR compliance programs in legal, charity, tech sectors – including data audit, privacy notices, internal procedures, processor agreements
- represented a medical professional in GDPR claim for rectification of regulatory records
- advised a UK cloud storage provider on its response to a data breach
- represented an electronics manufacturer defending a breach of privacy claim, leading to pre-action settlement
- advised a UK accountancy firm on its response to a DSAR (including search and presentation of results) following challenge from the ICO
- developed an innovative service solution and risk management framework for a GDPR Article 27 representative
- presented at the IAPP London Data Protection conference in 2019; recorded an IAPP “Summit Sessions” webinar on GDPR compliance when using social media
- Co-presented Law Society podcasts on GDPR implementation and on the impact of Brexit on data protection
Languages
German
Recommendations
Public law - “Recommended for public procurement matters”
Legal 500 2020
Competition law - Particularly active in the fields of state aid and distribution agreements. He also advises on cases concerning merger control. Knibbe represents clients before domestic and European authorities, and often assists clients based in Germany. “He is very approachable and fitted into our team well.”
Chambers UK 2019
Public Law - Very personable and client-friendly.
Legal 500 2019
Competition law - Particularly active in the fields of state aid and distribution agreements. He also advises on cases concerning merger control and abuse of dominance. Strengths: “He has in-depth knowledge of state aid law and knows how the law applies to the client’s project, so he can give helpful advice and guidance.”
Chambers UK 2018
Public law - “A diplomatic barrister with expertise in public law matters.”
Legal 500 2017
Awards
Junior Scarman Prize (City University)
Baron Dr Ver Heyden de Lancey Prize (Middle Temple)
Ede & Ravenscroft Legal Prize
Diplock Scholar (Middle Temple)
Qualifications
BA (Oxon) Law with Law Studies in Europe (Germany)
LLM German Law (Konstanz)
