fortiter was founded on the principle that legal advice should be a catalyst for growth, not a constraint. We work alongside technology-driven businesses as a strategic partner anticipating challenges before they arrive, navigating complexity when it does, and giving leaders the foresight to make decisions that last.
suaviter in modo, fortiter in re
Gentle in manner, resolute in action
About fortiter
Technology-driven businesses deserve legal counsel that is as commercially minded and agile as they are.
The traditional models were not built for that. Law firm panels reward volume over value. In-house teams carry overheads that most growth-stage businesses are not ready for. Generalist consultants rarely bring the depth that AI, data and cyber governance demands at board level.
fortiter is different by design. Three service pillars — embedded legal counsel, specialist project expertise, and independent AI & cyber oversight — delivered on retainers, fixed fees and day rates. No hourly billing. No conflicts. No cost-centre dynamic.
Meet our founder
Mark Deem is a commercial litigator and solicitor-advocate with more than 25 years advising technology businesses, investors and FTSE-100 clients. He holds rights of audience in all courts of England and Wales and has run cases across every commercial division of the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
His practice has focused on technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) litigation, financial services disputes, and contentious data — privacy, cybersecurity and AI. He is co-author of AI on Trial (Bloomsbury Professional, 2025), lectures at UCL Engineering on data law, and is recognised by Legal 500 as a leading lawyer in Commercial Litigation, International Arbitration, Data Protection and Cybersecurity, and AI.
fortiter is built on that foundation — and on the belief that the best legal advice enables growth rather than constrains it.
Our values
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We deliver advice with honesty, fairness and unwavering professionalism. That standard applies to every engagement, regardless of scale.
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We adapt quickly to our clients' needs against a fast-moving digital landscape: responsive in pace, consistent in quality.
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We embrace technology to enhance how we work and what we deliver, bringing better thinking and better outcomes to every matter.
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We cut through complexity to give clients clear, jargon-free guidance that empowers decisions rather than complicating them.
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We measure success by what changes for our clients - not by volume of output, but by the quality and consequence of the advice.
Our expertise
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A practice built on some of the most complex commercial disputes and governance challenges of recent years - from £100m-plus joint venture litigation to FTSE-100 scale data breaches and regulatory investigations spanning multiple jurisdictions. This is the experience that underpins every one of our engagements.
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Genuine specialism in AI, data and cybersecurity law - not as an adjacent practice, but as the foundation of what we do. That depth is what makes board-level technology governance advice credible rather than generic.
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We treat every engagement as a commercial problem first. Legal strategy is a means to a business end, not an end in itself; that orientation shapes both the advice and the way it is delivered.
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Our independence is structural, not just a positioning claim. With no panel firm obligations, no internal budget pressures and no conflicts, the oversight we provide at board level is genuinely impartial - and built to withstand scrutiny from investors and regulators alike.
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Where major litigation or specialist input is required, we work alongside a trusted network of established law firms and advisers, maintaining strategic oversight throughout and ensuring the right expertise is engaged at every stage.
“Great attention to detail - very impressive indeed”
– Legal 500, 2024
“Mark Deem has exceptional intelligence, thorough and extensive experience, creativity and the ability to bring originality and thoroughness to legal argument”
– Legal 500, 2025
Take the next step
Embedded legal counsel, specialist projects, or independent AI and cyber oversight - whichever you need, fortiter brings the same foresight, precision and purpose to your business.