The Legal 500

The firm: A leading business law firm offering a partner-led service. The firm provides commercial advice to its clients across a broad range of market sectors. It offers a unique combination of very strong corporate, tax, litigation and property capabilities coupled with specialist media and intellectual property expertise.

Through Globalaw, the worldwide network of law firms and as member for England, the firm is linked into over 90 law firms worldwide with over 4,500 lawyers, enabling the firm to handle transactions and work around the globe for clients. The firm has an increasing international practice receiving work form abroad and co-ordinating large transactions overseas.

Types of work undertaken: The corporate department works on all manner of corporate and commercial transactions at home and abroad and provides a comprehensive service to its business clients. Often working with lawyers from other departments, the team can muster a significant team for large and complex transactions. Effective tax structuring is also a key part of this service. Work ranges from stock exchange related work (listings, takeovers etc) to complex joint ventures, restructuring and finance and banking issues to setting up and establishing new businesses.

Davenport Lyons’ commercial team covers all aspects of intellectual property exploitation, including the registration of trademarks and the prosecution of them. The firm regularly advise on franchise, licensing, distribution and agency agreements. A growing competition and sports practice adds a further breadth to the firm’s skill sets.

Davenport Lyons’ contentious rights practice is a market leader with a strong international reputation. The practice includes one of the leading defendant publishing teams on all publishing-related legal work. Highly regarded contentious IP practitioners advise on copyright, trademark, design right and brand protection/exploitation issues and contentious entertainment and music lawyers act for record companies, producers and publishers in contractual royalty and copyright disputes.

The firm’s dispute resolution team is skilled at resolving disputes by mediation or arbitration or in the courts. Davenport Lyons represents clients wherever necessary and increasingly advises clients with international disputes in foreign courts or in foreign arbitrations, co-ordinating legal teams abroad as necessary. A particular area of expertise is the firm’s extensive work in the Copyright Tribunal.

Davenport Lyons’ media practice is a leader in the fields of film and TV finance, film and TV production and digital media.The firm’s music group has a strong reputation in the UK and US. It acts for many leading music publishing companies, producers, record companies and individual musicians, as well as clients in the film and TV industries, advising on contracts and copyright issues.

The firm’s insolvency team specialises in all aspects of business failure and also offers excellent assistance on obtaining payment for clients. Working closely with the corporate and employment teams, pre-packs and re-constructions are frequent occurrences.

Davenport Lyons’ property department, which incorporates a strong dispute resolution team, covers all aspects of commercial property and construction work. The firm advises on the acquisition and sale of large property portfolios, major property developments, both commercial and high-value residential, often with an offshore as well as a UK dimension, all and any landlord and tenant issues relating to both commercial and residential property and any management matters relating to any of the foregoing. This team also has a strong retail and restaurant practice, acting for a number of leading national retailers and restaurant groups.

Linked to this, Davenport Lyons’ licensing department deals with liquor licensing issues in the West End and is a leading practice in this area acting for restaurants, hotels, clubs and bars.

The firm’s employment department advises on all aspects of employment work on the contentious and non-contentious side. Clients range from individuals to large companies and the firm also has trade union expertise.

On the private client side, Davenport Lyons’ matrimonial department covers all legal aspects of marital breakdown, child custody issues and pre-nuptial arrangements. The firm’s private client team offer advice on personal tax planning, wills and administration of estates and Court of Protection work.

The firm has a strong pro bono policy and supports Skillforce and the Prince’s Trust, as well as engaging in a local school reading programme. Davenport Lyons takes its corporate social responsibilities seriously. The firm prides itself on its ability to recruit, foster and retain excellent lawyers who are trained to grasp commercial situations quickly and then to provide excellent practical advice.

Breakdown of work %
Corporate/commercial 36
Contentious rights and dispute resolution 14
Commercial property 22
Media and entertainment 13
Private client 10
Licensing 5

Number of UK partners 53
Number of other UK fee-earners 68