Dan Tozer LLB Law, 1995

Partner at Harbottle & Lewis LLP

Hi, I'm Dan Tozer and I studied LLB Law within Southampton Law School at the University of Southampton.

There is no "one size fits all" legal career. I've been in private practice, then in-house, and then back to private practice again. Who knows where next...

The Southampton law degree was, and remains, a well-respected degree, and certainly helped me to secure the training contract I wanted at Macfarlanes in London. After qualifying into the commercial department, I was seconded twice to clients - KFC/Pizza Hut and Intercapital (city brokers). This was a great experience and crucial in convincing me that working in-house was a real option. In-house lawyers are practising lawyers employed by the client they advise.

In 2004 I left Macfarlanes and joined Vodafone's Group Legal department. During my 9 years there I worked in a variety of different roles and supported many different business units, from buying mobile games and ringtones, implementing a new fibre network across Europe, to being the lawyer on the deal which brought the iPhone to Vodafone UK. It was rather bizarre working on a deal which was headline news for the BBC!

I changed tack in 2013 and returned to private practice as a Partner at Harbottle & Lewis LLP in London. I lead the commercial technology practice, and work with businesses of all sizes from start-ups to Microsoft, and from industries as diverse as fashion and financial data. Each day truly brings something different.

I had a great time at Southampton, worked with some wonderful and inspiring tutors, and even met my wife there! I am a regular visitor and am still close to many of my cohort. My key advice to current and prospective students would be to keep an open mind and keep curious - you might be surprised where life takes you!