Contact us if you are interested in obtaining a Regulatory Compliance Manual (for licensees or licence exempt entities) covering the Electronic Communications Act, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, the interception legislation and the Films and Publications Act. ________________ Lisa Thornton Inc provides legal, policy and regulatory advise to various types of clients including small and large businesses, both established and emerging, civil society and government entities, including Ministries, independent regulators and state-owned enterprises. The firm offers an alternative to the experience of working with large law and consulting firms; although it is small, it is able to deliver high quality, professional, solution oriented and timely work product on both small and large matters by focusing on one area of the law and by teaming up with trusted colleagues outside the practice when necessary. Where large firms delegate work to junior, often inexperienced attorneys, Lisa Thornton Inc is able to pull in the right expertise for the right matter. Services Regulatory Services Contact us if you have individual ECS and ECNS licences that you would like to sell, or if you are in the market for purchasing licences. Lisa Thornton Inc can assist you in evaluating your business to ascertain whether ICASA licences are required and assist you in obtaining any necessary licences. LTI can also assist you in structuring your deal or business to ensure compliance with the relevant regulatory framework, and to avoid any unnecessary regulation. The CEO of Seacom had this to say about LTI's recent contribution. “Lisa worked for SEACOM on regulatory issues in South Africa
pertaining to our build of a submarine fiber optic cable. The work we
requested of her was highly complex as SEACOM was setting precedent in
a changing regulatory environment. Despite the complexity of the work,
Lisa counseled SEACOM in such a way that the investors and lenders were
willing to move forward in this changing regulatory environment;
furthermore, her counsel has held up against the test of time as SEACOM
approaches its ready for service date. I would highly recommend Lisa
Thornton.” November 17, 2008, Brian Herlihy, CEO, Seacom Alison Gillwald, formerly head of the Wits University Link Centre, recommends LTI in these words. "Lisa Thornton has worked with and for me as a regulator, researcher and
provider of technical assistance to African states for over a decade on
issues of broadcasting and telecommunications reform. The combination of
her legal expertise and detailed knowledge of the evolving
communications sector in South Africa allow her to provide insights and
advice that few others are able to offer." November 2010, Alison Gillwald, Executive Director, Research ICT Africa Opinions / Reports Lisa Thornton Inc has written countless opinions on matters ranging from constitutional issues to the more technical aspects of communications regulation. Some examples include Electronic Communications Regulatory Review: Proposed Amendments to the Electronic Communications Act - prepared for The Edge Institute and Shuttleworth Foundation, Openness & Transparency at ICASA - prepared for ECN Telecommunications, Protecting Minors from Harmful Content via Mobile Phones - prepared for the Lawyers for Human Rights Child Rights Project and Civil Society Advocacy Programme, and an opinion for the South African History Archive Trust on the issue of Copyright in State Documents in South Africa. Please contact us to discuss your needs. We also subcontract with other law and consulting firms. If you are a law or consulting firm requiring an expert opinion or just need additional capacity, please contact us to discuss how we can help you help your client. Contracts Contracting
in the ICT field is unique; it requires a lawyer who understands the
technical and business issues relating to
your deal. On the other hand, like all contracts, a good one is a well
written story about the deal - with a slant in your favour of course -
that will stand up even after those who have negotiated it are gone.
Lisa Thornton Inc specialises in drafting and negotiating good, ICT
contracts, including buy/sale agreements, software development
agreements, service agreements, interconnection agreements, and website
and communications systems use policies. The firm is currently on retainer for a major electronic communications provider in South Africa to review and draft contracts. Although not generally a fan of standard agreements, Lisa Thornton Inc, has developed a few products, including website and communications systems use policies, and Standard Terms and Conditions for ISP Service Agreements. Policy, Legislation, and Regulation Development Lisa Thornton Inc has been involved in most of the ICT policy developments over the past decade. The firm has represented clients seeking to influence the direction of policy and regulatory development, and has represented government entities responsible for the development of policy, including the Department of Communications, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (and its predecessor organisations) and the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa. LTI has been involved extensively in the development of legislation and regulations, detailed here. A former Chairperson of the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority had this to say about the firm's contributions. “Lisa was instrumental in providing numerous pioneering legal opinions
and ideas in an environment where telecommunications regulation was still
in its infancy. Lisa's work today forms the standard by which others
are judged for their understanding of, and innovation in,
telecommunications regulation in South Africa.” August 27, 2009, Nape Maepa, CEO, Mahlasedi-Inkwali Energy Systems (former Chairperson of the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority) Training and Materials Development Lisa Thornton Inc has provided training and training materials to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the Competition Commission, and to the members of the Telecommunications Regulators Association of Southern Africa on behalf of the International Telecommunication Union and the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation. The firm has also organised and conducted various workshops for ICT lawyers and for the industry, the most recent of which was a series of workshops after the promulgation of the Electronic Communications Act. A selected list of teaching experience of Lisa Thornton can be found here. We will be happy to assist you with any or all of your ICT law and regulatory training requirements. Please contact us. Lisa Thornton Inc was called upon by the Competition Commission to assist it in the preparation of The State of Competition in the Telecommunications Sector in South Africa, included in the 2006 Report of the ICN Working Group on Telecommunications, Appendix III, Country Studies, and to conduct training exercises with Competition Commission personnel on the competition aspects of the Electronic Communications Act. Lisa Thornton Inc also has represented clients before the Competition Commission and was instrumental in the preparation of the first complaint referral to the Competition Tribunal regarding the anti-competitive conduct of Telkom Ltd. ________________________
If you think hiring a really good lawyer is expensive, try hiring a really bad one. |
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