Shahriar Rafiei

Eager to support tech and fintech companies with practical solutions

Licensed in: United Kingdom, Australia

About

I am an Executive Director in UBS's Legal team in London. I have a broad corporate and commercial practice, with a focus on technology & fintech. FINTECH & DIGITAL: -Legal lead for UBS Data Intelligence businesses generating $100M+ annual revenue. -Advising on client contract negotiations, IP protection, licensing, regulatory strategy, RFPs & bespoke deals (e.g. partnerships, "soft-dollar" arrangements). -Spearheading the world’s first regulated DLT-based payment settlement system, collaborating with 10+ major banks. -Leading fintech joint ventures & strategic investments, including AI-driven B2B tools and RegTech. GENERAL COMMERCIAL & CORPORATE GOVERNANCE -Advising on high-value commercial contracts (up to $500M) including critical outsourcings, global MSAs, SaaS, cloud services & consulting. -Key participant in corporate governance forums, shaping procurement policies, regulatory compliance (EBA, PRA, DORA) & operational risk mitigation. -Resolving vendor disputes worth up to $50m while minimising external legal spend. SIMPLIFICATION & LEGAL TECH: -Global lead on UBS’s vendor contract simplification project (~$11B annual spend), reducing onboarding times & aligning with UBS’s agile strategy. -Legal lead on Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), leveraging AI to cut procurement costs & legal risk. LEADERSHIP & PRO BONO -Managing junior lawyers, secondees & trainees. -Leading in-house legal operations & transformation initiatives. -Supervising solicitor for BPP Law School’s Enterprise & Family Law Clinics since 2021 (pro bono)

Practice Areas

Commercial Contracts > Vendor ProcurementCommercial Contracts > SaaS AgreementsCommercial Contracts > Vendor AgreementsIntellectual Property > IP LicensingTechnology Law > SoftwareGeneral CorporateCommercial Contracts

Services

Commercial contracts
Advising on and negotiating a range of commercial contracts - e.g. MSAs, outsourcing, SaaS, software and hardware, outsourcing.
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Market data, licensing and IP
Advising data-based businesses on suitable legal structures, IP protection, and other day-to-day legal issues. Includes licensing agreements, user terms and disclaimers, redistribution agreements, "soft dollar" arrangements.
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Strategic ventures and invesments
Advising on legal structures and associated documentation for bespoke commercial ventures, such as JVs and partnerships.
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Work

Senior Legal Counsel (Executive Director)
UBS
Apr 2020 - Present
eDiscovery Counsel EMEA, Group Investigations
UBS
Nov 2017 - Apr 2020
General & eDiscovery Counsel
Lineal
Jul 2016 - Sep 2017

Education

London School of Economics
MSc Public Policy • 2015
Queensland University of Technology
Master of Laws • 2010
Queensland University of Technology
Bachelor of Business (Econ)/Bachelor of Laws • 2007