John Kelly > Harbottle & Lewis LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Harbottle & Lewis LLP Offices
7 Savoy Court
LONDON
WC2R 0EX
England
John Kelly

Work Department
Media and Information Group
Position
John Kelly is recognised as a leading litigator who specialises in the area of reputation protection, privacy and defamation.Having been involved in many of the most high profile cases and developments in this area, John is recognised as a leading practitioner by Chambers UK, Chambers HNW, The Legal 500 and The Spear’s 500.
John works with clients to protect their rights and reputations. Whilst much of John’s work is confidential he represents a number of high-profile individuals, well-known brands, and FTSE 100 companies.
Personal clients include High Net Worth individuals, successful entrepreneurs, as well as leading individuals in the entertainment industry, music and sport. John has represented a host of well-known clients including Angelina Jolie, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Steve Coogan, Russell Brand and Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne. John has developed Personal Protection Principles which are used to protect clients reputations, their family and their security.
Corporate clients include leading consumer brands, as well as companies in the financial services and charity sector. Work for corporate clients includes corporate brand protection, advising on the media law aspects of complex litigation, and the protection of private and confidential information in such cases. In addition to this John has extensive experience of dealing with consumer affairs television programmes.
John is well-known in the area of sports law and acts for premiership and international football clubs, players, owners, managers, agents as well as governing bodies.
John is a regular speaker on Reputation Protection and Personal Protection rights both in the UK and internationally including in the US and Australia.
Career
- Trained at Schilling & Lom, qualified 1994
- Schilling & Lom and Partners 1992-97
- Mushroom Records Australia Head of Legal & Business Affairs 1998-99
- Kelly & Co Lawyers Australia Partner 1999-2005
- Schillings Partner 2005-13
- Harbottle & Lewis Partner 2013 to date
Memberships
Law Society of South Australia
Education
- University of Sheffield, LLB Hons (1991)
- College of Law Chester, Law Society Final Examination (1992)
- Admitted as a solicitor and barrister in South Australia 1999
Leisure
The Ivy Club
Lawyer Rankings
London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
(Leading partners)‘One of the top firms offering claimant support in the reputation space‘, Harbottle & Lewis LLP is a leading firm in reputation management, covering defamation, privacy, breach of confidence, data protection, and information law. The firm operates on a global scale, advising talent and ultra-high-net-worth individuals across various industries, with a strong emphasis on preventative work. Co-head Gerrard Tyrell is highly experienced in representing UHNWIs, senior statespeople, global investment funds, and leading brands, while fellow co-leader John Kelly is known for his work with high-profile clients, particularly in relation to current affairs programmes. Amy Bradbury specialises in data protection, focusing on subject access rights.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading partners London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Reputation management London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms)
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Film & TV
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Media finance
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Theatre, publishing and other media
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Video games
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
Firm Rankings
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Private client > Family
- Employment > Immigration: personal
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Advertising & marketing
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Music
- Employment > Senior executives
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers
- Employment > Immigration: human rights
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Real estate > Residential property
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Industry focus > TMT
- Corporate and commercial > Venture capital
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Artificial intelligence
- Industry focus > Hospitality and leisure
- Industry focus > Retail and consumer
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Fintech: corporate and commercial
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Employment > Employers