Global insurance law firm DLA Piper has appointed Nick Valentine as its new special counsel.

Valentine brings a wealth of experience in IT outsourcing including business process outsourcing, software development and licensing, data hosting, and data protection, privacy and open data.

He is also experienced in advising tech start-ups and helping early-stage companies understand how to protect their Intellectual Property (IP), facilitating an easier course to capital raising.

“With Nick’s international knowledge and experience, it’s fitting that he joins DLA Piper, a firm that delivers best practice and expertise worldwide,” DLA Piper New Zealand country managing partner Martin Wiseman said.

“Our clients are constantly looking at ways to deal with the increasing demand from their customers for lower prices and improved user experiences,” Valentine added. “There is also heightened awareness of the risks posed by reliance on legacy systems with a patchwork of applications and structures, which are expensive to maintain and difficult to migrate away from.”