Priyan Meewella

I'm a senior associate in the Dispute Resolution Group in London. I specialise in working with technology and energy businesses around the world to find innovative solutions to complicated and challenging commercial problems.

Having spent over a decade at Bird & Bird, I know lawyers across the firm, allowing me to pair clients with the right specialist for the job. My personal interest in technology and design means that I am always looking for more efficient solutions to the work we do, as well as easy and intuitive ways to present information to clients or to the court.

I specialise in technology and financial disputes for global corporations in the IT, telecoms and energy sectors. I enjoy working alongside clients at an early stage in order to avoid disputes entirely, but I am equally comfortable handling high value litigation and arbitration. Recently this has included high profile software disputes and one of the largest group litigation actions in the UK. Meanwhile, advising both suppliers and customers provides a deep strategic understanding on preventing disputes from escalating and the most efficient routes to reaching a resolution.

I am particularly interested in the development and commercialisation of disruptive technologies, advising on the disputes which can arise in their adoption.

• I work closely with clients' technical staff to understand how their software operates and how specific deployment of software maps to their contractual licensing terms. I advise both large vendors like SAP and a broad range of customers with specialised business needs.
• I have worked with several independent technical experts to conduct root cause analysis for RWE npower in various cases following damage to its power generation turbines.
• Acting against RBS in one of the largest UK group litigation orders required developing processes to collate, verify and maintain a register of well over 30,000 claimants on an ongoing basis.
• Advising Karkey Karadeniz following the detention of several powerships by the Pakistan Government required taking a holistic approach, with knowledge of the local political environment as well as liaising with local lawyers, the client's US lawyers and the client's insurer.

• SAP v Diageo - a landmark £54 million software licensing dispute in relation to direct and indirect access.
• Karkey Karadeniz v Pakistan - advising Karkey Karadeniz on insurance matters and assisting American counsel conducting an ICSID arbitration that resulted in an $800 million award.
• RWE npower - advising in several multi-million pound claims following damage to electricity generation turbines.
• I have acted in a number of high value claims against RBS arising out of the financial crisis, including one of the largest UK group litigation orders.