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Art And Cultural Property

3 Verulam Buildings
5 Stone Buildings
Essex Court Chambers

Media And Entertainment (including Art And Cultural Property)

1
Blackstone Chambers
2
Hogarth Chambers
Matrix Chambers
3
11 South Square
5RB
8 New Square

Art And Cultural Property - Leading Silks

Gilead Cooper QC - Wilberforce Chambers ‘A powerful intellect, offers balanced view and shows a keen interest in art and the art market.’
Henry Legge QC - 5 Stone Buildings ‘Very sound judgement, taking a macro view of the relative strengths and weaknesses of a case.’
Andrew Onslow QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘He is responsive, calm and a pleasure to work with.’
Joe Smouha QC - Essex Court Chambers ‘He combines keen intellect with commercial awareness and an excellent understanding of the art market and the unusual legal situations it often throws up.’

Media And Entertainment - Leading Silks

1
Ian Mill QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘A forceful advocate and exceptionally good on his feet.’
2
Edmund Cullen QC - Maitland Chambers ‘A superb barrister and a notable practitioner in this field. Great expertise and experience.’
Tom Weisselberg QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘He is extremely bright and personable and a complete joy to work with.’
3
Daniel Alexander QC - 8 New Square ‘He is technically brilliant and particularly impressive for IP.’
Robert Anderson QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘One of the great cross-examiners, particularly recommended for music and football matters.’
Hugo Cuddigan QC - 11 South Square ‘Clever and tenacious, never loses sight of the commercial imperatives.’
Robert Howe QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘He understands the music business very well, is incredibly detailed and forensic in his approach.’
Lord Pannick QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘A superb advocate with fantastic judgement.’
Andrew Sutcliffe QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘Truly goes the extra mile and inspires the highest level of confidence.’
Hugh Tomlinson QC - Matrix Chambers ‘Arguably the best media law silk and a pleasure to work with.’
Mark Vanhegan QC - 11 South Square ‘Like a judge in terms of his calmness and gravitas.’
4
Alex Bailin QC - Matrix Chambers ‘He is very knowledgeable with great judgement and tactical skill.’
Desmond Browne QC - 5RB ‘A strong choice for defamation work.’
Andrew Caldecott QC - 5RB ‘A beacon of clarity and charm.’
Catrin Evans QC - Matrix Chambers ‘Brilliant lawyer and strategist. Doggedly determined. A charming advocacy style. Great team player and good fun to work with.’
Andrew Green QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘A great mix of a friendly demeanour with clients and a robust adversarial approach with opponents.’
Anthony Hudson QC - Matrix Chambers ‘He is strong for information law, privacy and defamation.’
Andrew Hunter QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘Calm, forensic, hugely knowledgeable, highly liked by clients and great to work with.’
Brian Kennelly QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘He is great on his feet and quick to grasp complex issues.’
Thomas de la Mare QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘A superlative advocate who has the ability to bring in new and fresh arguments.’
Gavin Millar QC - Matrix Chambers ‘He can operate effectively outside traditional media law territory.’
Justin Rushbrooke QC - 5RB ‘His skills across the board, from drafting to the courtroom, are exceptional.’
Michael Silverleaf QC - 11 South Square ‘He has a superb grasp of technical detail but also knows how to put an argument across in court.’
Antony White QC - Matrix Chambers ‘Extraordinarily clever and knows how to deliver difficult messages in exactly the right way.’

2021 Silks

Iain Quirk QC - Essex Court Chambers ‘An impressive, plain-speaking and unstuffy barrister.’
Jeremy Reed QC - Hogarth Chambers ‘He is forensically astute.’
Lorna Skinner QC - Matrix Chambers ‘A real leader in her field.’

Art And Cultural Property - 2020 Silks

Rajesh Pillai QC - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘Great responsiveness, very strong in writing and as an advocate.’

Media And Entertainment - 2019 Silks

Tom Hickman QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘He always gives the very best analysis and advice for music-related work.’
Lindsay Lane QC - 8 New Square ‘Clear in her advice and sticks to it.’
Christina Michalos QC - 5RB ‘She is practical and works to a very high standard.’

Media And Entertainment - 2020 Silks

Andrew Norris QC - Hogarth Chambers ‘Clear and concise on paper and in person, always prepared to roll his sleeves up.’
James Segan QC - Blackstone Chambers ‘Very bright with extensive and in-depth knowledge of his field of expertise.’

Art And Cultural Property - Leading Juniors

Andrew Bruce - Serle Court ‘A strong advocate who is not afraid to broach difficult areas of cross-examination. Also offers clear and concise written opinions. Has sharp and technical knowledge of art law.’
Cleon Catsambis - 3 Verulam Buildings ‘He is very clever, knowledgable and easy to deal with.’
Luke Harris - 5 Stone Buildings ‘Very personable and deeply knowledgeable in relation to bailment/gift issues.’
Jordan Holland - 5 Stone Buildings ‘He has a very good grasp of the area, plenty of experience but also creative in solving problems.’
Claudia Renton - Essex Court Chambers ‘A phenomenal junior, unflappable and extremely hard-working.’
Emily Wood - Essex Court Chambers ‘Very smart and responsive, excellent drafting.’

Media And Entertainment - Leading Juniors

1
Jessie Bowhill - 8 New Square ‘Very clever and on top of her game.’
Gwilym Harbottle - Hogarth Chambers ‘Bright as a button and methodical, a very capable junior.’
Amanda Michaels - Hogarth Chambers ‘Very down-to-earth with both excellent technical knowledge and insight into the inner workings of various courts and tribunals.’
David Sherborne - 5RB ‘Always gets the results, no matter the opposition or circumstances.’
Mark Vinall - Blackstone Chambers ‘An excellent barrister for media law instructions.’
2
Jessica Boyd - Blackstone Chambers ‘She is very impressive and has remarkable attention to detail.’
Tom Cleaver - Blackstone Chambers ‘He has more industry knowledge about digital entertainment than any other barrister we have worked with.’
Michael Hicks - Hogarth Chambers ‘He understands a client's business very well and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.’
Tom Richards - Blackstone Chambers ‘Seamlessly integrates into any team, excellent written work and advocacy.’
3
Ari Alibhai - QEB Hollis Whiteman ‘Incredibly responsive and gives very clear and invariably accurate advice.’
Tom Alkin - 11 South Square ‘Exceptionally responsive, practical, quick on the uptake and able to absorb and synthesise a great deal of complex information quickly.’
Edward Brown - Essex Court Chambers ‘Very clear and pragmatic in his advice, as well as exceptionally client-friendly.’
Daniel Burgess - Blackstone Chambers ‘Very strong on the detail and good with client.’
Edward Craven - Matrix Chambers ‘A rare mixture of top academic talent who is perfectly adept at client interaction.’
David Glen - 11KBW ‘Highly intelligent, strategically astute and extremely personable, he draws on a deep knowledge and understanding of the law and is forensic in his analysis of complex legal issues.’
Justin Kitson - Selborne Chambers ‘He can read a situation and develop a clear strategy that pays dividends in the success of a case, be it at trial or settlement.’
Jonathan Moss - Hogarth Chambers ‘A commercially pragmatic barrister who has the ability to think outside the box.’
Shane Sibbel - Blackstone Chambers ‘His trial preparation is very thorough and his cross-examination is well thought out and effective.’
Ben Silverstone - Matrix Chambers ‘A very well-rounded barrister and an able junior especially for production order cases.’
Guy Tritton - Hogarth Chambers ‘Huge attention to detail and a thorough understanding of the law.’
4
Ashton Chantrielle - 8 New Square ‘She gives sound, practical advice and has the personality to stand up to difficult opponents.’
John Critchley - Field Court Chambers ‘His charm and diplomacy are unquestionable.’
Jacob Dean - 5RB ‘He is always available and responsive, and provides considered and sensible advice.’
Aidan Eardley - 5RB ‘Always at the top of the list of external counsel in this area.’
Ian Helme - Matrix Chambers ‘Technically excellent but pragmatic at the same time, with client-focused solutions.’
Jonathan Hill - 8 New Square ‘Fine intellect, thorough and very good to work with.’
Sara Mansoori - Matrix Chambers ‘She has an impressive ability to quickly get to the heart of the case and pre-empt the other side's arguments.’
Andrew Scott - Blackstone Chambers ‘A calm, considered and very thorough barrister.’
Chloe Strong - 5RB ‘Produces brilliant pieces of written advocacy which carry the day.’

Media And Entertainment – Rising Stars

Celia Rooney - Blackstone Chambers ‘Very bright and very confident in her advice, she doesn't sit on the fence but forms an opinion and advises on it.’

Media and entertainment (including art and cultural property) in London Bar

11 South Square

Specialist intellectual property set 11 South Square has expanded its service offering over the past few years to include media and entertainment disputes with an IP aspect such as copyright and trade mark infringement of music and song lyrics. Hugo Cuddigan QC, for instance, is currently instructed by defendants Iron Maiden in a copyright claim relating to six of the band's songs brought by the former manager of Lindisfarne, Barry McKay. Similarly, Tom Alkin successfully defended Dreamworks against a copyright infringement claim brought by Whittle over the 2015 Steven Spielberg film, Bridge of Spies.

3 Verulam Buildings

In the arts and cultural property arena, 3 Verulam Buildings demonstrates a strong suit in ownership rights disputes and questions of attribution or dating of works of art. Members of the chambers, with the help of 'friendly, efficient and sensible clerking', act both for and against art dealers, auctioneers, buyer and sellers. Cleon Catsambis was instructed as the defendants' sole counsel in Astrid Cole v Sean Carpenter, Lauren Carpenter and David Carpenter, a rights of sale dispute over the 1932 Picasso painting 'The Rescue'.

5 Stone Buildings

The 'sharp and responsive' 5 Stone Buildings is a go-to set for art and cultural property disputes, acting for private individuals, estates and auction houses across a range of issues. Henry Legge QC primarily represents claimants in cases brought against auction houses, as exemplified by his recent instruction in a claim against Christie's for negligent handling of a sale of a $100m collection. In another highlight, Luke Harris acted for LLG PTE Ltd as co-owner of an artwork in a claim for conversion, breach of bailment, and breach of contract against Inigo Philbrick and his company of the same name.

5RB

The market leader in defamation and privacy, 5RB is also a 'go-to set for media litigation' and 'the leading chambers for other media risks'. Chambers also takes on pre-publication and pre-broadcast work as well as cases related to reporting restrictions and regulatory multimedia, broadcasting and telecommunications issues. David Sherborne is the set's leading junior in this area, while the set was strengthened following Christina Michalos QC's elevation to silk in 2019.

8 New Square

8 New Square combines intellectual property expertise with know-how of television, film, online media, broadcasting, gaming and VR. A particular focus lies on matters related to the broadcast of sporting events such as football and boxing: 2019 silk Lindsay Lane QC has handled various cases for the Football Association Premier League concerning copyright infringement of logos and films used in broadcasts of football matches. Jessie Bowhill is a go-to junior for musical copyright cases and her recent work highlights include representing Ed Sheeran and the remaining claimants in a dispute about the authorship of Sheeran's hit song 'Shape of You'.

Blackstone Chambers

Blackstone Chambers is praised repeatedly for 'the quality of its juniors' in media and music cases and fields a 'most responsive' clerking team 'with excellent soft skills'. The set acts for performers, directors and producers as well as publishers and collecting societies. Of recent note, Robert Howe QC and Mark Vinall acted for the applicants in UK Hospitality Industries and British Beer and Pub Association v Phonographic Performance Limited, a copyright tribunal case regarding a proposed tariff for playing music at special events. Market leader Ian Mill QC was instructed on the other side of the case together with James Segan QC, who took silk in 2020.

Essex Court Chambers

'Experts in their field', Essex Court Chambers has 'a top reputation and lives up to it' when it comes to arts and cultural property instructions. Joe Smouha QC shines in title, dealer commission, authenticity, and purchasing syndicate disputes, as demonstrated in a recent Commercial Court trial concerning the sale of an alleged counterfeit painting by Sotheby's. The Joint Head of Chambers recently acted for defendant Mark Weiss Ltd, leading art fraud and contractual breach expert Claudia Renton. Emily Wood, who also sits as an arbitrator on art-related matters, was instructed by the other side in this $10m claim against the Old Master dealer.

Hogarth Chambers

A 'go-to set for IP-related matters', Hogarth Chambers is particularly adept at handling copyright, merchandising rights, recording contracts and publishing agreements disputes arising out of the music, publishing, film and television industry. Chambers is praised particularly for its 'good range of counsel', which includes Andrew Norris QC who took silk in 2020 and acted for the BBC in Molavi v BBC, a High Court screenplay copyright claim initially brought against ITV. In another highlight, Jeremy Reed was instructed by Phil McIntyre Entertainment in two High Court claims brought by Faulty Towers in relation to the defendant's production of an interactive "Fawlty Towers" dining experience.

Matrix Chambers

Drawing on cross-over expertise in privacy and defamation, data protection and sport, the 'really well run' Matrix Chambers represents high-profile individuals and media organisations in multidisciplinary cases. Praised for its 'excellence on online defamation issues and data protection in the context of media law cases', the set also caters to tech companies. Catrin Evans QC recently represented a transgender father as the applicant in relation to the broadcast of a documentary about him, while Edward Craven, led by Antony White QC, acted for Guardian News and Media (GNM) in a High Court claim against digital advertising infrastructure company Rubicon Project Inc concerning unaccounted ad revenue and advertising space fees.