law, policy, economics

"Towerhouse Consulting continues to consolidate its reputation as one of the best specialist regulatory firms in the country. The lawyers here are perhaps best known for their assured representation of heavyweight clients before the Competition Appeal Tribunal, and are also noted for their work on other commercial and telecoms policy matters"
Chambers and Partners 2012

As a firm we aim to combine the best legal, economic and policy expertise and this is reflected in our people. Our aim is to provide a genuinely cross disciplinary service across all regulated industries. As well as being experts in telecoms and internet we also cover transport (including aviation), environment and utilities. This page gives short biographies; full CVs are available on request.

Rosaleen Hubbard: Partner
Rosaleen Hubbard is the founder and Senior Partner of Towerhouse Consulting LLP. She established the firm in 1998 and it was her vision to focus entirely on the telecoms and internet industries so as to ensure that we provide a first class expert service to our clients. She is named by Who's Who Legal as one of the UK's leading telecoms regulatory lawyers.

Rosaleen  has a particular interest in consumer policy.  She was a founding Council member of The Ombudsman Service. 

Rosaleen was involved in the development and launch of UKCTA, the trade association for fixed line operators in the UK, and continues to  manage the ongoing activities of the organisation as well as provide advice and assistance on regulatory matters. 

She is a graduate of the Aston School of Business and qualified as a solicitor in 1986.

Paul Brisby: Partner
Paul Brisby is recognised as one of the leading telecoms regulatory lawyers in the UK . Paul is managing partner of Towerhouse Consulting LLP. He joined THC in 2004 and is now the firm's managing partner. He heads the firm's commercial law practice and advises many of the worlds leading telecoms and internet companies on regulatory law and policy, with a special focus on their competition aspects.

Paul is General Editor of Global Telecommunications Law and Practice (Sweet & Maxwell (Thomson Reuters)).

Before joining THC, Paul was Director of Regulatory Affairs and Public policy for COLT Telecom Group plc, with global responsibility. He was responsible for licensing and regulatory compliance and government relations worldwide. He also chaired the alternative carrier’s working group on the UK Communications Act, leading negotiations with the government, and appeared before the UK ’s Competition Commission in their inquiry on mobile termination rates.

Paul was previously General Counsel and Regulatory Director at OnCue Telecom, a start-up telco funded by Soros Private Equity and Toronto Dominion Capital. His previous positions include a stint as Regulatory Counsel of One2One (now T-Mobile), where he was a bid signatory in the UK’s 3G spectrum auction.

Paul trained and qualified as a solicitor in the City of London . He was educated at Oxford University and the London College of Law.

Paul's expertise is recognised by the leading legal directories - Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, Who's Who Legal - each of which has named him as one of the UK's leading telecoms lawyers. He has been variously described as follows: Chambers & Partners Directory:"absolutely tremendous regulatory lawyer"; “outstanding practitioner”; 'exceptionally talented'; 'Clients praise him as "commercially astute and aware" and value "his ability to assess critically strategic issues and his immediate feel for political considerations." ' "thoroughly steeped in regulatory and competition regimes affecting the telecommunications industry..." Legal 500 Directory: '...outstanding strategic thinker...' "One client says of Paul Brisby... 'his advice is always practical and focussed on the best outcome for his client. I have the highest confidence in him.' "

Domhnall Dods: Senior Associate
Domhnall Dods is a vastly experienced telecoms lawyer and regulatory expert. He joined Towerhouse Consulting LLP on 6 January 2009 as a Senior Associate after 12 years as Head of Regulatory Affairs at THUS plc. In that capacity he was responsible for government relations, major carrier contracts, licensing, data protection and regulatory compliance.

During his twelve years with THUS Domhnall was responsible for interconnect contracts with BT and other fixed and mobile network operators. He latterly co-chaired the industry-wide next generation network contract

Domhnall has chaired the Government Relations committee of the alternative carrier’s trade association, UKCTA. He also represented the UK utility industry in relations with the Scottish Government and led a cross industry team negotiating amendments to the Transport (Scotland) Act and the Traffic Management Act. He has appeared before Parliamentary Committees to present the views of industry on draft legislation as well as the European Commission during their investigation into Project ATLAS, a public sector broadband intervention.

Domhnall qualified as a solicitor in September 1990 with Shepherd & Wedderburn WS in Edinburgh. He spent a number of years in private practice in Edinburgh conducting civil litigation in Scotland's Supreme Courts prior to joining Scottish Telecom in 1996. He was educated at the University of Aberdeen, Napier University Edinburgh and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Kate Ollerenshaw: Counsel
Kate Ollerenshaw joined Towerhouse Consulting LLP in January 2009 as Counsel. She has massive experience as a regulatory and commercial lawyer in the UK and overseas advising regulators and the regulated, new entrants and incumbents across the TMT sector. She has worked inhouse and in private practice.

From 2001 to 2004, Kate lived in Hong Kong and worked for a UK firm with a well-respected telecoms practice. The Asian Legal 500 (2002-2003) described her as one of “Hong Kong’s most astute regulatory lawyers”.

Prior to that, Kate worked for Cable & Wireless plc as a regulatory advisor to their Regional Businesses. As Acting Head of Legal, Regulatory and Public Policy for Cable & Wireless Jamaica, Kate gained first-hand experience of a fixed and mobile incumbent in transition to a competitive environment.

Kate joined C&W from the London office of a City law firm. In addition to regulatory and commercial work for telecoms clients, she was part of a team that advised the ITC on a variety of issues, including the launch of DTT. Kate qualified as a solicitor in 1996.

Edward Rushton: Head of Economic Practice

Edward Rushton heads the Economics Practice at Towerhouse Consulting LLP.  Edward is a hugely experienced and respected economist who is well-known to regulators and companies operating in the sector generally.

Edward has worked in the sector since 2000, initially with Cable & Wireless, later with NTL and latterly as Head of UK Regulatory for COLT Telecom.

Edward has economics degrees from the University of Cambridge and (post-graduate) from the London School of Economics.

 

Robert Sigurdsson, Consultant

Robert has practised as a litigator for nearly 25 years, 23 years as a partner, in a number of city firms, including 10 years as a partner of Howard Kennedy.

His clients include international and UK quoted/private companies, foreign and UK banks, insurance companies, oil companies, airlines, embassies and high commissions, art galleries, private individuals and entrepreneurs and trusts.

At Towerhouse Consulting, Robert brings his experience of litigation to bear on our core practice areas to ensure that our clients have the best possible service throughout the regulatory process and before the Courts.

 

Lesley Swindley, Special Advisor
Lesley Swindley is an experienced regulatory expert with excellent analytical, strategic and financial skills and over twenty years’ experience in the communications and energy sectors.

Lesley has twelve years’ experience in telecoms regulation gained whilst working at T-Mobile where she managed the UK Regulatory Policy team for eleven years up to 2011. Lesley has significant experience of spectrum auctions; she was a signatory for the UK’s 3G spectrum auction and was then T-Mobile’s Project Lead for the later spectrum auctions. She has expertise in the analysis of auction designs, developing successful bidding strategies for spectrum auctions and managing spectrum auctions. She also has considerable experience in other areas of regulatory policy including spectrum policy and economic regulation.

Before joining One 2 One (which became T-Mobile and is now Everything Everywhere), Lesley was at London Electricity for nine years where she held a number of positions including Head of Purchase Costs and Pool Development and Head of Short Term Trading and Analysis. Prior to that Lesley worked as an Operational Research Scientist for British Coal’s Operational Research Executive.

Lesley has an Executive MBA from London Business School (distinction), an MSc in Operational Research from Lancaster University (distinction) and a Maths degree from Oxford University.

Lucas Ford

Lucas has extensive experience in the policy and contentious aspects of competition and consumer protection, including investigations, regulation and public policy development gained working at a number of National Regulatory Authorities.

Lucas was previously a Senior Associate at Ofcom in the competition investigations team where he worked on enquiries and disputes relating to charge controls, competition, numbering and requirements to be fair and reasonable.

Prior to Ofcom, Lucas was Regulatory Manager, at the Legal Services Board (LSB), the oversight regulator of the legal services regulators in the UK. Lucas played a leading role in reviewing complaints handling across the legal profession and developing a new set of regulatory principles for regulators. He also reviewed regulators codes of conduct for competition and consumer protection issues.

In Australia, Lucas was Assistant Director at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). His responsibilities included the development and enforcement of national sectorial regulation, competition and consumer protection investigations and copyright policy development and litigation. This included managing cases on behalf of the ACCC at Copyright Tribunal of Australia.

He was educated at Monash University and the College of Law in Melbourne, Australia. He has bachelor degrees in Laws and Economics. He has also studied the law and economics of access regulation at a masters level at Melbourne University.

Helen Gill-Williams

Helen Gill-Williams is a Trainee Solicitor at Towerhouse Consulting LLP. She graduated from Warwick University in 2010 after studying towards a Bachelor in Laws. The following year she completed her post graduate qualification at the College of Law, obtaining a distinction.

Helen joined Towerhouse in April 2012 and is currently gaining experience in all of the practice areas offered by the firm. In particular, Helen has been involved in ongoing matters at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court; advising clients in relation to Ofcom, Law Commission and PhonePay Plus consultations; engaging in contract reviews with Openreach and BT Wholesale; and providing assistance to the members of UKCTA through her role within the UKCTA Secretariat.