Paul Allen

My love of technology started as a child in the ‘80s playing on the Atari 2600, one of the first interactive computers to enter family living spaces. Over the past 20 years, I’ve combined my love of technology and innovation with my lawyering skills to help clients achieve their technology, outsourcing and digital transformation objectives. During these 20 years, I have been based in Brisbane, Australia (1999 to 2004), London, UK (2004 to 2008) and Dubai, UAE (2008 to present). I now head up our exceptional International Intellectual Property & Technology  and our top ranked regional Middle East technology sector practice.

It’s an exciting time in the Middle East start-up community. Inspired by a number of regional unicorns in recent years, and with the introduction of government and private sector initiatives, the start-up scene in the Middle East has never presented as great an opportunity as it does today. As a firm that has operated in the region for over 15 years, and with a global footprint, we are well placed to support the start-up community, including by helping start-ups enter the region and gain traction in the market and to also help those from the region expand their horizons further afield. 

I am also a member of DLA Piper’s Change Council which is responsible for fostering radical change and innovation at the firm, building on the firm’s recognition by the FT as one of the world’s top 10 firms for innovation. 

At the end of 2019, I completed my Executive MBA with INSEAD where I focused on the design and implementation of strategies and new business models that leverage new and emerging technologies to provide a superior sustainable competitive advantage. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy nothing more than spending time with my wife and two children, especially when hanging out in the Maldives and getting in some diving and snorkeling.