Alison Ross Eckford
Alison is a partner in the London commercial and technology team at Mills & Reeve LLP.
Alison specialises in advising on non-contentious commercial and IT matters, including outsourcing, procurement, transformation, and renegotiation projects. Her practice covers projects in relation to business-critical systems and services, as well as business-as-usual commercial contracts. Alison assists clients in developing their strategies and advising on all aspects of the contracting process from end to end: strategy, drafting documentation, change management, re-negotiations, and ongoing lifetime support.
Alison is the Lead Partner for Mills & Reeve’s ESG Legal Services offering and Deputy Head of the firm’s national Technology Sector practice. Alison regularly acts for private sector clients across a variety of industries. She has a particular focus on the financial services sector, having spent considerable time in-house on client secondments, including to Lloyds Baking Group, NatWest, and as Head of Legal of Financial Services at the Post Office.
Alison is qualified to practise law in England & Wales, Scotland, and Hong Kong SAR. She has been ranked as a partner in the London Legal Directories for IT and Outsourcing law since 2019.
Practice Area
Panel
- Contributing Author
Qualified Year
- 2003
Experience
- Pinsent Masons LLP (Hong Kong and London) (2007 - 2022)
- Bristows LLP (London) (2006 - 2007)
- Pinsent Masons LLP (Edinburgh) (2004 - 2006)
- Dickson Minto WS (Edinburgh) (2000 - 2004)
Membership
- Law Society of England and Wales
- Law Society of Hong Kong SAR
- Law Society of Scotland
Qualifications
- Diploma IP Law and Practice (PG DipIP) (2007)
- Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (DipLP) (2001)
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB) (2000)
- Honours Bachelor of Arts (HonsBA) (1996)
Education
- University of Bristol (2007)
- University of Edinburgh (1998 - 2001)
- Trinity College, University of Toronto (1992 - 1996)
4 Contributions by Alison Ross Eckford
PRACTICE NOTES
Managing Global Supply Chain Risk: Due Diligence, Contractual Controls, Cyber Security and Resilience Strategies for Commercial Lawyers
This Practice Note
Examines the practical difficulties of global supply chains and the commercial lawyer’s role in building a resilient supply chain for a business. It reviews supply chain risk and the suite of tools available to lawyers to mitigate those risks, including assessing and managing partner risk, controlling risk through supply chain contracts, and supplementary approaches to risk management, as well as other methods for managing risk.
Effective risk management in supply chains demands insight into both operational realities and the legal obligations that apply wherever a company’s direct and indirect suppliers operate. The increasingly global nature of manufacturing supply chains raises even further the difficulty of managing risk and amplifies the consequences of failure. This is compounded by uncertain geopolitical and financial landscapes across jurisdictions that disturb harmonious conditions between markets, as shown in 2025 by the US imposing tariffs on certain global markets. On a global basis.
Consequently, the risks that almost every business must now routinely assess go beyond natural disasters, pandemics and market downturns, and include:
unpredictable consumption patterns
labour unavailability
product scarcity
global logistics issues
the rise of geopolitical tensions
Furthermore, in certain industries and sectors, businesses are being forced to implement increased scrutiny...
Commercial
PRACTICE NOTES
UK and EU private-sector supply chain sustainability: a practitioner’s guide to ESG due diligence, supplier codes, contractual controls and risk mitigation
Embedding sustainability
This Practice Note considers supply chain sustainability through the wider lens of sustainable procurement and environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, concentrating on leading themes in UK and EU private sector practice. It offers practical direction on setting up a supplier code of conduct and building a comprehensive supply chain sustainability programme that addresses:
Human rights and labour standards
Environmental impacts and deforestation
Corruption and litigation exposure
Risk management across the supply chain
Public procurement sits outside the scope of this note. For further information on supply chain sustainability in the UK, including details on UK regulations, see Practice Note: Supply chain sustainability—UK. For further information on supply chain sustainability in the EU, including details on EU regulations, see Practice Note: Supply chain sustainability—EU. For further information on sustainable public procurement in the UK, see Practice Note: A guide to sustainable public procurement.
Supply chain sustainability has moved from the margins to a central business priority. Although the regulatory landscape continues to develop, there is now abundant guidance and precedent to help organisations design and implement robust compliance frameworks that align with both national and international standards...
Commercial
PRACTICE NOTES
UK private sector supply chain sustainability: regulatory duties, contractual due diligence and risk management across environment, human rights, anti-corruption and minerals, with EU extraterritorial impacts
This Practice Note examines supply chain sustainability within the wider landscape of sustainable procurement and environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, with a particular emphasis on private sector practice in the UK. It delivers practical direction on creating a supplier code of conduct and shaping a comprehensive UK supply chain sustainability programme that considers key matters including human rights, labour standards, environmental effects, corruption, deforestation, exposure to litigation, and risk management. Public procurement does not fall within the scope of this Practice Note. For further reading on central themes in supply chain sustainability—covering what it is, how companies can build a sustainable supply chain, which issues a supply chain sustainability programme should address, the risks of not doing so, and mitigation—see Practice Note: Supply chain sustainability—key themes. For information on supply chain sustainability in the EU, including more detail on EU regulations, see Practice Note: Supply chain sustainability—EU. For guidance on sustainable public procurement, see Practice Note: A guide to sustainable public procurement...
Developing a supply chain sustainability programme addressing environmental concerns
The government has brought forward a suite of legislative measures intended to reduce environmental harm...
Commercial
CHECKLISTS
Supply Chain Resilience: Legal Due Diligence and Contracting Checklist covering Demand, Mapping, Contingency, Pricing, Supplier Insolvency, Fraud, ESG and Cyber Risks
This Checklist outlines the principal risks and points to weigh when taking steps to build a resilient supply chain, covering demand, communication, mapping, supplier requirements, contingency plans, supplier agreements, supplier distress and insolvency, fraud, and de‑risking. It accompanies Practice Note: Securing a resilient supply chain.
Demand
In relation to demand, have you:
Evaluated the possible effects of a major supply chain event (eg geopolitical instability, a pandemic, or product shortages) on your customers/end users?
Considered how a significant supply chain event could influence your distribution network and adjusted it as necessary?
Assessed whether investing in technology (eg AI, digital twins, crisis and scenario modelling) could deliver solutions to sharp changes in supply and demand?
Communication
In relation to communication, have you:
Kept strong, regular dialogue with key suppliers, logistics partners and end customers about what you are doing and the steps you are taking?
...
Commercial
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