Graham Smith

Graham Smith joined Bird & Bird in 1983 and became a partner in 1985. His practice encompasses advisory and contentious work in the internet, IT, and intellectual property fields.

He has handled a variety of disputes in the IT sector, ranging from IT project litigation to software copyright disputes. In 1995 he wrote, for Computer Law & Practice, the first published article in the UK examining damages awards in computer project disputes. His section of the Encyclopedia of Information Technology Law contains a detailed examination of non-contractual liability in the IT field, including negligence liability of suppliers and consultants.

He is one of the UK's leading cyberlaw experts. He edits and co-authors the book Internet Law and Regulation, which first appeared in 1996 and is now in its 4th edition. Reviewers have said that it 'reads and feels like the Bible on Internet law' and that it is 'the definitive English law textbook on e-commerce' and 'a carefully sculpted work of art'. His practice includes in particular advising e-commerce actors on liability, including copyright, defamation and cross-border issues. He advised the States of Guernsey on the preparation of their electronic transactions legislation and advised Yahoo! and the UK Internet Services Providers Association (ISPA) in their successful campaign to persuade the Home Office to include a hosting defence in the Religious and Racial Hatred Act 2006. This work was commended in the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers 2008.

He is a member of the Advisory Board of BNA's Electronic Commerce & Law Report and the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Law & Information Technology . He is rated by Chambers UK Directory as a Leading Individual for Information Technology and by PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook as a Recommended Lawyer for TMT: Technology.