Essential Guide to the Package Travel Regulations

Paula qualified as a solicitor in 2000 at a commercial legal firm and then moved in-house to be an ABTA solicitor, before moving up to senior solicitor. She has over 20 years’ experience in travel law, including package travel, ATOL, consumer law, booking conditions, advertising and websites. She runs ABTA's code of conduct processes and writes the extensive, practical guidance available for Members on compliance with the Code and their legal obligations. In her spare time Paula loves travelling and football and believes that someday soon she'll be able to combine the two and go to a World Cup to support Scotland.

Mark Smith opened Purdy Smith for business in July 2017 having spent a number of years working at leading City law firms Fieldfisher and Osborne Clarke.  He provides advice to a range of leading brands and other businesses on a variety of matters including commercial contracts, intellectual property rights, consumer law, package travel legislation, data protection, e-commerce issues and the regulation of advertising and marketing.  He has considerable experience in dealing with regulators and has enjoyed working on numerous international projects throughout his career in partnership with his broad network of overseas contacts.  Mark has a long history of acting for clients in the travel industry, including some of the world's most famous travel brands, and earlier in his career  spent time on secondment at both Eurostar and Expedia.

Mark has been quoted in publications including Campaign and The Independent, appeared on both radio and television as a legal expert, and regularly speaks at seminars and conferences both nationally and internationally.  He was nominated for both the "Sole Practitioner of the Year" award at the Law Society Excellence Awards in 2019 and the "Rising Star – Private Practice" award at the British Legal Awards 2020.  He is recommended in both The Legal 500 UK and Chambers & Partners UK.
 

Lisa joined ABTA in 2020 and has been managing the Financial Protection team since July 2022. The team’s main role is to help members comply with their financial protection requirements under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 as well as ABTA’s requirements. Lisa works closely with the Director of Membership and Financial Protection on business planning and related activities, anticipating and preparing for potential regulatory change.

Gareth is a Partner in Kennedys’ London office. Gareth trained at an insurance practice and has completed a secondment with a global cruise company.
He represents tour operators, cruise liners, charities, insurers and other travel companies in a variety of fast track, multi-track and catastrophic injury claims. Claims usually involve the Package Travel Regulations. Athens and Montreal Conventions, and also cases involving complex jurisdictional issues.
Gareth has also acted on commercial litigation involving companies in multiple jurisdictions and has been successful in a number of such cases in recovering damages for clients from companies in other jurisdictions.
He has advised travel companies in respect of crisis response to a variety of situations including natural disaster, war, civil unrest and illness outbreak. He is also a regular speaker at industry events.
Gareth is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL).

Gareth is a Partner in Kennedys’ London office. Gareth trained at an insurance practice and has completed a secondment with a global cruise company.
He represents tour operators, cruise liners, charities, insurers and other travel companies in a variety of fast track, multi-track and catastrophic injury claims. Claims usually involve the Package Travel Regulations. Athens and Montreal Conventions, and also cases involving complex jurisdictional issues.
Gareth has also acted on commercial litigation involving companies in multiple jurisdictions and has been successful in a number of such cases in recovering damages for clients from companies in other jurisdictions.
He has advised travel companies in respect of crisis response to a variety of situations including natural disaster, war, civil unrest and illness outbreak. He is also a regular speaker at industry events.
Gareth is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL).

Mark Smith opened Purdy Smith for business in July 2017 having spent a number of years working at leading City law firms Fieldfisher and Osborne Clarke.  He provides advice to a range of leading brands and other businesses on a variety of matters including commercial contracts, intellectual property rights, consumer law, package travel legislation, data protection, e-commerce issues and the regulation of advertising and marketing.  He has considerable experience in dealing with regulators and has enjoyed working on numerous international projects throughout his career in partnership with his broad network of overseas contacts.  Mark has a long history of acting for clients in the travel industry, including some of the world's most famous travel brands, and earlier in his career  spent time on secondment at both Eurostar and Expedia.

Mark has been quoted in publications including Campaign and The Independent, appeared on both radio and television as a legal expert, and regularly speaks at seminars and conferences both nationally and internationally.  He was nominated for both the "Sole Practitioner of the Year" award at the Law Society Excellence Awards in 2019 and the "Rising Star – Private Practice" award at the British Legal Awards 2020.  He is recommended in both The Legal 500 UK and Chambers & Partners UK.