Jeffrey Smele > Simons Muirhead Burton > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Simons Muirhead Burton fields an experienced and specialist publishing team led by Martin Soames, who is well-known in the industry for his work with editors, journalists, publishers and content providers. Covering both contentious and non-contentious matters, the practice has placed a recent emphasis on growing its IP, non-contentious technology and data capabilities to advise industry players on emerging issues such as AI. Regulatory matters involving IPSO, Ofcom and ICO also feature on the team’s workload. Key names to note in the practice include: publishing specialist Simon Goldberg; Maninder Gill, who draws on his former experience as a legal director of a newspaper to assist publishers with commercial and IP issues; media disputes specialist Jeffrey Smele, who also advises on pre-publication clearance; Raoul Lumb, who focuses on digital content and distribution matters; and Stephen Shortnes, who concentrates on pre-publication issues.

Chiefly advising on defendant-side work, the media and communications disputes practice at Simons Muirhead Burton represents some of the UK’s most prominent publishers and broadcasters. The firm also has a strong track record in defending major European publishing houses, NGOs, and trade unions. Team head Jeffrey Smele – a key contact for major publishers – has significant experience in pre-publication clearance, newsgathering issues and regulatory complaints. Louis Charalambous is recognised for his deep knowledge  of libel and privacy claims. Razi Mireskandari, who also leads the firm’s dispute resolution practice, brings extensive experience in media litigation. Stephen Shotnes specialises in pre-publication and dispute resolution matters concerning publishers, while Martin Soames focuses on publishing disputes. Dinah Shiloh is a seasoned litigator who acts for both claimants and defendants in libel, privacy, confidentiality and harassment cases. Emma Linch is another standout in the team, who concentrates on defamation and misuse of private information matters.