Technology, intellectual property and data are amongst the most valuable and strategic assets for a business. Clients turn to Nigel Howard to help them execute on their most innovative and complex transactions involving technology, intellectual property and data. He is a "tremendous attorney" singled out for his detail-oriented approach, according to clients interviewed by Chambers and Partners. Peer commentators note his admirable commercial awareness, which achieves business-focused results, often in the most challenging of circumstances.
For over 25 years he has specialized in complex commercial transactions such as strategic alliances, licensing, distribution agreements and outsourcing. Clients range from start-ups and emerging companies to international corporations. He has led negotiations of billion dollar service agreements that were critical to his client, and successfully handled the intellectual property and data issues on over 250 venture capital and M&A transactions.
He serves as one of the leaders of Covington’s multidisciplinary Digital Health Initiative, which brings together the firm’s considerable resources across the broad array of legal, regulatory, commercial, and policy issues relating to the development and marketing of digital health products and services.
Nigel has been at the forefront of initiatives to protect data assets for his clients, helping them achieve a competitive advantage or fend off a competitive threat. He advises clients on their proprietary rights to data and global strategies for protecting these assets. He has represented companies in transactions covering the full spectrum of data related activities, including data capture and storage, business and operational intelligence, analytics and visualization, personalized merchandizing, and the related cloud computing services.
Nigel has been ranked by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Legal 500, Best Lawyers in America, and Who’s Who in American Law. He is frequent speaker on data, distribution, and technology legal issues, and regularly contributes to Covington’s blogs. He has experience in the digital health, food, fintech, and travel and hospitality industries. His past and current clients include American Airlines, the American Bankers Association, American Express, AstraZeneca, British Airways, Brown Brothers Harriman, Cathay Pacific, Cisco, CoBank, DoubleClick, Etihad, Farelogix, Iberia, Mars, Merck, Merrill Lynch, Microsoft, NCR, the NFL, Novartis, P&G, Philippine Airlines, Promontory Financial, Singapore Airlines, Teva, TouchTunes, UBS, and Wyeth.