6th October 2023

We’re delighted to have been recognised again by independent legal directory, Legal 500. We’re proud of our top tier rankings in Music and Film & TV and excellent positioning for Video Games and Advertising & Marketing. We are also delighted with the recognition for our Intellectual Property, Employment, Media Finance and Reputation Protection teams.

In all, 24 of our lawyers have been ranked this year and recognised by clients for their exceptional work, including Sam Goodman, Liv Lyons, Stephen Spence and Luke Carey who have been ranked for the first time.

Rankings aside, we are most delighted with the generous client feedback received and published by Legal 500, including:

Film & TV

‘They have expertise across the piste and often draw on specialists within the firm to handle unusual matters that occur. Our experience with the team has been exemplary and we believe they are the market leaders in our field.’

‘Richard Lever is the top television lawyer in the UK. He is a strategist and is woven into many corporate transactions but when necessary he is also happy to roll up his sleeves and work on a gnarly production or financing deal.’

‘The team are uniquely strong in the independent film business. Their knowledge of the challenges facing independent UK film producers is second-to-none.’

‘Nicki Parfitt is hard-working, knowledgeable and gives great advice. The more I work with her, the more impressed I am.’

‘Luke Carey is exceptional as a film lawyer in that he used to work for a production company and so knows the business from our side.’

‘Lee Stone has made himself an indispensable human resource to us, as he was quickly able to understand our business on an intimate level. This, along with the broad pool of experience he draws from, has allowed him to let his legal work be governed by a sharp intuition which enables him to often find practical solutions which help to ameliorate technical or commercial impasses that will invariably arise in our industry.’

Music

‘This firm has excellent music coverage.’

‘Dominic Bray has the necessary technical knowledge and expertise to deal with cases extremely effectively.’

‘Mark Stafford has experience working with the PPL and PRS on the enforcement of sound recording and composition copyrights, so he knows the industry well.’

Dominic Bray’s management of expert witnesses on technical matters is exceptional.’

‘Fantastic team of experienced and knowledgeable litigators.’

‘Mike Brookes is an astute tactician.’

‘Martyn Bailey is clever and assured.’

‘The firm has an extremely strong profile within the entertainment space in general, and the music sector in particular. The firm is one of the top players in this field.’

Advertising & Marketing

‘Dominic Bray stands out as being a partner who truly engages with the finer details of complex legal analysis without losing sight of the bigger strategic or commercial picture.’

Video Games

‘Julian Ward is always accessible and understands our business – nothing is too much trouble with him.’

‘Andy Florence is technically a very good lawyer – when engaging with our stakeholders, he can cut through issues and speak in a language our internal clients understand.’

Reputation Management

‘Unique in that they have significant experience acting for both defendants and claimants. This means they can approach reputation management issues with a clear understanding of what both sides are seeking to achieve and a refreshing lack of dogma. They know everyone within the media law world and are widely respected. They can be forceful when needed but are always sensible and pragmatic.’

‘Mike Brookes and Leo Dawkins are a fantastic and formidable team with very significant experience between them. They are always calm under pressure and, due to their extensive pre-broadcast clearance work with TV and film production companies, they have a deep understanding of the industry as well as the litigation process.’

‘Niche point is that the two leading partners – Mike Brookes and Leo Dawkins – are highly experienced claimant litigators who now act primarily for defendants – poachers turned gamekeepers!’

‘Mike Brookes and Leo Dawkins are both very experienced and clear and focused

Intellectual Property

‘Proactive, professionalism and speed.’

‘The ability to bounce ideas off and discuss solutions.’

See the full rankings and feedback from our clients here.