The Legal 500

Within M&A: smaller deals up to £50m, Harbottle & Lewis LLP is a first tier firm,

Leading media firm Harbottle & Lewis LLP’s four-partner M&A practice excels on sub-£50m deals with a media or entertainment element. Channel 4 instructed the firm on a £28m joint venture with Emap to acquire 50% of Box Televison, and Virgin is also a client. Colin Howes and Mark Phillips are recommended.

Within Venture capital, Harbottle & Lewis LLP is a second tier firm,

Harbottle & Lewis LLP maintains an excellent reputation for advising TMT companies, and Colin Howes and Tim Parker both come highly recommended. The firm is acting for more investors, notably London Seed Capital and Atomico Investment Holdings.

Within Commercial litigation

Within Defamation and privacy, Harbottle & Lewis LLP is a second tier firm,

‘ True media experts’, Harbottle & Lewis LLP represents some high-profile clients, notably the Royal Household. It acts for Kate Middleton in claims of privacy infringement and harassment, and also acts for the Beckhams, Sophie Dahl, and Kate Moss. Gerrard Tyrrell’s highly rated team includes the well-regarded Louise Prince and Jo Sanders.

Within Asset finance and leasing, tier 6

Now headed by the ‘ knowledgeable and commercial’ Alison Wilds following Douglas Lochhead’s departure to Australian firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Harbottle & Lewis LLP continues to pick up a considerable flow of work as one of the Virgin Atlantic panel firms. Clients appreciate the firm’s ‘ in-depth understanding of the airline industry’.

Within Employment, tier 7

Reflecting the firm’s focus on sectors such as media and entertainment, fashion, telecoms and charities, Harbottle & Lewis LLP’s team acts for household name clients including Penguin Books, Channel 4 and Virgin Atlantic. Marian Derham is ‘ attentive and prompt’, and recently advised Visit London on partnership issues, commercial restructuring and subsequent redundancies.

Within Charities and not-for-profit, tier 5

Harbottle & Lewis LLP advises some big names in the entertainment industry on charities issues, with practice head Robert Porter in 2007 advising Comic Relief on a possible merger with a smaller charity. He also continues to advise the Royal Household, recently advising on a number of charitable projects involving the Royal Family including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Within Family, tier 5

Tom Amlot heads the young family group at Harbottle & Lewis LLP.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, tier 6

Glen Atchison and Sarah Bridge co-head the personal tax practice at Harbottle & Lewis LLP, which receives a good flow of work from the firm’s strong media practice. ‘ They are quick to respond and offer well-thought-out advice, as well as being easy to get on with’.

Within Commercial property, tier 8

Also recommended are: Bowling & Co.; Cannings Connolly; Capsticks; Dorsey & Whitney; Druces LLP; Edwin Coe LLP; Fasken Martineau Stringer Saul LLP; Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson (London) LLP; Goodman Derrick LLP; Grundberg Mocatta Rakison LLP; Harbottle & Lewis LLP; Heller Ehrman (Europe) LLP; Hempsons; Ince & Co; Irwin Mitchell; Latham & Watkins; Mills & Reeve LLP; Moon Beever; Piper Smith Watton LLP; RT Coopers Solicitors; Rochman Landau; Rooks Rider; Rosenblatt Solicitors; Rosling King LLP; Russell Jones & Walker; Sidley Austin LLP; Steeles Law LLP; Stepien Lake; Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons; and Wiggin LLP.

Within Brand management, Harbottle & Lewis LLP is a second tier firm,

Harbottle & Lewis LLP has a strong music practice, and its brand-protection group is active in advising on music in relation to advertising, and on advising brand-owning clients on tie-ups with music and music sponsorship. The internationally focused franchising practice, led by the ‘ very good’ Caroline Turner, also advises music industry clients such as the Ministry of Sound, and has strength in fashion franchising. New partner Andy Millmore, who is experienced in ASA disputes, is recommended for advertising, where the firm is ‘ an absolute pleasure to work with’, and Bob Mitchell has a great industry reputation for his ‘ excellent’ sponsorship practice.

Within Intellectual property, tier 5

Best known as a media firm, Harbottle & Lewis LLP handles a substantial amount of design-related IP work, particularly in the fashion sector. Mark Owen heads the team, which recently represented Lucasfilm in several important cases, and is the ‘ first port of call on anything of a difficult or contentious nature’.

Within IT and telecoms, tier 4

Also recommended are: technology group head Margaret Harvey at Addleshaw Goddard; Michael Ryan, head of telecoms at Arnold & Porter (UK) LLP; Mark Lubbock, head of Ashurst LLP’s technology group; IT specialist John Yates at Beachcroft LLP; Simon Stokes, head of the London IT group at Blake Lapthorn; telecoms partner Chris Watson at CMS Cameron McKenna LLP, who recently arrived from Dechert LLP; David Berry at Charles Russell LLP, for his telecoms work; Rex Parry, head of IT at Eversheds LLP; head of the technology team at Fladgate LLP, Anthony Lee; ‘ exceptionally well-informed’ communications expert Tony Ballard at Harbottle & Lewis LLP; outsourcing partner Bridget Treacy at Hunton & Williams; ‘ well-connected and commercially astute’ IT and outsourcing partner Jonathon Little at Jones Day; Dominic Bray, who specialises in technology disputes at K&L Gates; Jonathan Riley, head of commerce and technology at LG, who provides ‘ intelligent counsel’; Peter Cashmore at McGrigors LLP, whose practice includes both IT and telecoms; Tony Bailes, head of the technology team at Nabarro; technology and telecoms specialist Robert Stankey at Reed Smith; the ‘ effective and approachable’ Jeremy Drew, head of the IP and technology group at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP; Michael Bywell, who heads the contentious technology and telecoms practice at SJ Berwin LLP; the ‘ splendid’ Robert Sumroy, head of the technology and outsourcing practice at Slaughter and May; the ‘ quick and thorough’ John Buyers, head of the commercial, outsourcing and technology group at Stephenson Harwood; Paul Brisby, co-head of telecoms at Towerhouse Consulting; IT specialist Dan Reavill at Travers Smith LLP; and ‘ phenomenal IT lawyer’ Ashley Winton at White & Case LLP.

Within Media and entertainment, Harbottle & Lewis LLP is a first tier firm,

Clients appreciate Harbottle & Lewis LLP’s ‘ uncompromisingly transparent, above-board dealings’. Computer games ‘ guru’ Mark Phillips and rising star Paul Groves advise SCi/Eidos, Geomerics and Jagex, while ‘ star player’ Sebastian Belcher works closely with Take Two Interactive and Rockstar Games, publisher and developer of the Grand Theft Auto series. Broadcasting and telecoms expert Tony Ballard advised BARB on the tender process for TV audience measurement, Phorm on its Web 3.0 software, and 2waytraffic on call TV. The ‘ outstanding’ Medwyn Jones heads the film and TV practice, focusing on drama production, while clients commend Abigail Payne’s film financing expertise. ‘ Competent and meticulous’ music lawyer Paul Jones represents Omnifone and Ministry of Sound. The ‘ brilliant’ Caroline Turner provides corporate and digital-rights advice to publishers including Penguin Books. Theatre specialist Neil Adleman advises on West End productions such as Hairspray, and TV series Any Dream Will Do.

Within Overview,

Among the UK firms whose reputations are built on technology and media clients, Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP stands out for matters involving technology and trade marks, and has the UK’s leading franchising practice after hiring Eversheds LLP’s head of franchising and his team. Well known for its media practice, Olswang recently hired an IP partner with a large team from Kilpatrick Stockton LLP and a media partner from Harbottle & Lewis LLP. Lewis Silkin LLP’s leading advertising practice has been advising Hutchison in its dispute with 3G, and is strong on brands, as is Bristol’s Osborne Clarke, which has a strong TMT team, and recently made a major media-sector lateral hire in the shape of Wiggin LLP’s former senior partner.

Within Sport, Harbottle & Lewis LLP is a third tier firm,

Harbottle & Lewis LLP advised the PGA European Tour on the grant of rights to Leisurecorp to stage the Dubai World Championship, Locog on its licensing programme, and a number of high-profile individuals - including Jose Mourinho, David Beckham, and Kevin Pietersen - on defamation and privacy issues. Bob Mitchell leads the team, and Gerrard Tyrrell is also recommended.