Legal

M2002 entered into 577 contracts in order to deliver the Games. Contracts were signed in the following areas: broadcasting, sponsorship, licensing, IT and telecommunications, consultancy, procurement (supply/hire of goods and services and/or equipment), catering, cleaning and waste, venue hire, accommodation, Local Authority and other public sector, transport, The Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay and minor works contracts. Goods and services with a value less than £30,000 were procured on M2002's standard terms.

From January 1996 to March 2001, general legal advice was provided to M2002 by Addleshaw Booth & Co externally except in relation to company secretarial services which were provided by MCC. The main focus during this period was on the sale of broadcasting rights, sponsorship and licensing and general Games planning.

From March 2001, the in-house team comprised one qualified solicitor supported by a trainee solicitor both to provide legal advice, manage the executed contracts list and to co-ordinate the legal advice provided by Addleshaw Booth and Co and MCC. In November 2001, a senior manager from United Utilities was appointed to facilitate the preparation of a contract management system for M2002. The Addleshaw Booth & Co solicitor secondment to M2002 began on 18 February 2002 and the M2002 in-house solicitor appointment began on 9 April 2002. An MCC team comprising five qualified solicitors, previously operating from the Town Hall, began a full time secondment to M2002 during May 2002.

The legal service to M2002 was provided by an in-house legal team eventually totalling 12 in number, comprising eight qualified solicitors; one M2002 in house solicitor, one solicitor seconded from M2002's Official Lawyers, Addleshaw Booth and Co and six solicitors seconded from MCC with four support staff. Specialist advice particularly in relation to the areas of broadcasting, sponsorship, licensing, IT and telecommunications was provided directly by Addleshaw Booth & Co under the terms of their Official Sponsor agreement. Specialist advice particularly in relation to local authority law, procurement, company secretarial services, road closures and data protection was provided by MCC. Additional administrative support in managing the contract process was provided by the Contract Management team.

A separate but essential part of the overall team was the Contract Management team which provided a direct link with client FAs and developed and managed the Contract Matrix as a tool for tracking progress on contract sign off. The Contract Management team gave essential administrative support to the Legal team thereby allowing available time to concentrate on giving legal advice and drafting legal documentation.