Lee & Thompson LLP

Andrew Thompson

Andrew is one of the Lee & Thompson’s founding partners and is now a Consultant at the firm. In the early years of his career he worked principally for independent record companies, in particular, Chrysalis Records until the label was acquired by EMI in 1992. Andrew became one of the ‘standout’ figures in the music business and has acted for world renowned acts over the years including Depeche Mode, Simply Red, Sir Tom Jones, Wet Wet Wet, Richard Ashcroft, the Spice Girls and Karl Jenkins. His modest manner and straight forward, commercial advice has placed him at the heart of the industry and in 2003 Andrew (and Robert Lee) were inducted into the prestigious MMF Roll of Honour and were recipients of the MMF Founders Award. Andrew’s main focus is now on talent representation. He acts for leading composers, for a host of major recording artists and for songwriters, producers and managers. He also acts for writers and for various sports and other “personalities” including David and Victoria Beckham. Andrew played a significant role in the creation in 1987 of the Music Managers’ Forum which exists as a lobbying organisation to further the interests of music business managers and the artists they represent. Since the MMF’s inception, Lee & Thompson has provided legal advice on a pro bono basis and Andrew is a major contributor to The Music Management Bible published by SMT for the MMF. Andrew is also a trained mediator.

Andy Florence

Andy is a Senior Associate in Lee & Thompson’s Digital & Technology Group and Video Games team, specialising in digital media, interactive entertainment and technology. Andy advises on a wide range of issues across the videogames industry including game development, publishing, online advertising and marketing, eSports and distribution on online platforms. Before joining Lee & Thompson, Andy spent nearly ten years in an in-house legal role at BBC Studios where he worked across key brands such as BBC Good Food, Top Gear and Motion Gallery. He also worked on the BBC’s direct to consumer service BBC Store and was the senior lawyer in charge of content acquisitions for BBC Studios’ channels. Complimenting Andy’s legal and commercial experience is his background in technology; Andy has also achieved a first-class honours degree in Computer Science at Strathclyde University.

Antony Swiatek

Antony joined Lee & Thompson in 2011 as an associate and is now a partner in the firm’s Film, Television and Games group advising leading independent producers and other talent-led production companies in connection with the development, production, financing and exploitation of a wide variety of film, television and other audiovisual content projects. Antony has extensive experience of independent feature film and studio productions, including a variety of international co-productions involving co-operation across Europe, North America and Asia. He also works closely with clients on high-end television productions and premium SVOD commissions. Over the last few years, Antony has developed a growing specialism in life rights adaptations, biopics, and feature documentary projects, particularly those relating to the worlds of music and sport, and he is a member of the firm’s working group on AI in the creative industries. Together with Luke Carey, Antony formed and runs the “NextGen” Producers Collective, a supportive community for emerging and established independent producers intended to support ambitions, encourage mutual collaboration, share collective knowledge, back diversity, inclusion and emerging talent, and bring creative people together in a non-competitive, nurturing way. Antony is a regular speaker at industry events and seminars, including training and mentoring for emerging producers via the James Walker Legacy Award, the National Film & Television School and Film London.

Christos Michaels

Christos is a partner and heads up Lee & Thompson’s renowned Film Group. He trained at Linklaters and then specialised there in international project finance before joining Harbottle & Lewis where he was seconded to head up business affairs for the 10 television production companies at Chrysalis Visual Entertainment. In 2000 Christos joined Mel Gibson’s Icon UK Group as Head of Business Affairs overseeing development, finance, production, sales agency and distribution in the UK and internationally. He was also in charge of all business affairs for Icon Distribution in Australia. Christos worked on an extensive range of UK, US and international films with budgets ranging from micro to blockbuster including the Icon-produced “What Women Want”, “The Passion” and “Apocalypto”. He is one of the only private practice lawyers in the UK to have had this in-house experience at a leading US and UK vertically integrated independent film company. Christos joined Lee & Thompson in March 2006. Using his unique experience, Christos heads up the Film Group’s representation of leading distributors and sales agents. Christos also represents a range of new and established producers and financiers in the film and television industries. Christos specialises in structuring the finance and production for independent films and helping implement exploitation models for sales agents and distributors of new and established media. Christos speaks at industry events and seminars in the UK and internationally. He also sits on the Media and Marketing Committee of the Medicinema charity.

Dominic Bray

Head of Dispute Resolution; Head of Advertising & Marketing Group

Gordon Williams

Partner, Dispute Resolution and Head of Brand Protection

Huw Morris

Partner, Advertising & Marketing

James Baker

Partner and Head of Employment

Jeremy Gawade

Jeremy is a partner at Lee & Thompson with over 25 years’ experience in the film and television sectors. Jeremy worked in industry, firstly as a partner in an international film and television distribution company and then as a consultant for various film and production companies, before bringing his diverse film and television experience to Lee & Thompson in 1990 when he founded the firm’s film and television Groups. Jeremy has particular expertise in putting together finance, distribution and production/co-production deals for film and television projects. Increasingly, he acts for talent based production companies allowing actors, writers and directors a greater degree of ownership and control over their work He is also uniquely qualified to help clients finance, produce and exploit concert and event specials and other music based film and television programming.

Johan Ewing

Johan is a partner in the firm’s Film, Television & Games Group. Johan is highly regarded by his diverse and extensive list of clients, including leading independent production and finance companies, distributors, directors, writers, and completion guarantors. Johan’s practice covers all areas of the film and television industry including the setting up and structuring of film and television companies and projects alongside the full range of matters in relation to the development, production, financing, distribution, and exploitation of film and television productions. Johan applies his unique experience and industry understanding to work on a range of high profile drama productions alongside animation work and a leading documentary practice, working throughout the UK production industry and international co-productions across Europe, North advising, Africa, and Asia, from independent film to high-end television commissions and SVOD/ streamer productions. Johan joined the firm in 2017 having previously worked in house at a completion guarantor where he had been Head of Legal and Business Affairs covering over 85 film and television productions. Prior to this, he worked for NBCUniversal and a top UK entertainment law firm. He is a regular industry speaker at various institutions and events.

Julian Ward

Julian is Head of Lee & Thompson’s Digital & Technology Group – a digital media, IP and technology lawyer with over 17 years’ experience working across the creative industries advising clients on all matters relating to digital content, interactive entertainment and digital publishing. Julian provides specialist advice across multi-media platforms and all forms of media content with a particular focus on the development and publication of videogames, software applications and websites; all elements relating to the licensing and distribution of online content; e-commerce and digital retail; online platforms, distribution and broadcasting (DTO, VOD, OTT); the technology architecture underpinning digital platforms; online advertising and marketing (including online partnerships, co-branding and affiliate deals); rights management and clearance, personality rights, e-sports, betting and gambling compliance; social media publishing, the monetisation of digital content and all areas of data protection, privacy and cyber-security. Before joining Lee & Thompson in May 2017, Julian was Head of Digital Media at Hamlins having previously spent over a decade as in-house counsel to leading media and technology companies, including BBC World Wide as Head of Business & Legal Affairs for Digital Retail and Games, and leading video games developer and publisher Codemasters as Head of Legal. Known for his in-depth industry insight and commercial approach, Julian prides himself on his open and collaborative way of working. He is particularly skilled at working with businesses to craft and deliver commercial and novel business models and strategies – particularly where digital aspects converge and disrupt the status quo.

Lawrence Engel

Lawrence is a partner at Lee & Thompson and heads the firm’s highly regarded Music Group. He started his career in 1994 and joined Lee & Thompson in 2009 having previously co-founded and run his own niche music law firm. Lawrence has experience across all aspects of the music industry and represents an extensive list of recording artists, songwriters, producers, DJs, managers and music industry executives. Clients commend his straight forward, practical approach commenting that he “knows the business well, is very pragmatic and is good at cutting through the issues and getting the job done.” The Music Group’s client base currently includes some of the industry’s most successful and well known international acts. In 2020 Lawrence was included in Billboard's prestigious international Top Music Lawyers list.

Lee Stone

Lee is a partner in Lee & Thompson’s Film and Television Groups. Upon qualifying at Dentons (then Denton Hall) in 1998, Lee worked at Endemol UK, where he gained valuable television industry experience with a particular emphasis on children’s drama, live event programming and reality/factual entertainment television. Lee joined Lee & Thompson in 2000 and now primarily advises on all aspects of the feature film industry, although Lee also ventures into television work from time to time, particularly in the field of animation). Lee’s practice is extremely diverse and his clients encompass production companies for whom he often structures complex international co-productions , rights management companies encompassing both sales agents and distributors, post-production houses who also double up as equity investors and some of the UK’s leading independent film financiers investing in a vast number of both European and North American productions, with a particular emphasis on bridge and senior lender gap financing. Clients include Unanimous, Pulse, The Fyzz Facility, Double Negative and Dogwoof. In addition, Lee has also been instrumental in developing the firm’s expertise in advising the Indian film industry and is widely recognised as the go-to-lawyer for anyone in the Indian film industry seeking to do business in the UK, as a result of which Lee is also regularly instructed by British companies wanting to collaborate with Indian producers and distributors.

Leo Dawkins

Leo is a partner at Lee & Thompson and head of the firm’s Reputation Protection group. He is also a key member of the firm’s Dispute Resolution and Data Privacy groups. He has a varied commercial dispute resolution practice, advising clients in relation to all kinds of disputes, especially those within the media, technology and creative industries. He is particularly well regarded for his expertise in defamation and privacy disputes. To compliment this work, Leo has a significant pre-publication legal clearance and compliance practice, advising with respect to a wide variety of content, including film and TV dramas, documentaries, comedy, books and any other type of printed or audio-visual content. Leo is also an experienced data protection compliance lawyer, helping clients navigate, understand and comply with complex data protection and e-privacy laws. He holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/EU) certification with the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Recent work highlights reflect the breadth of Leo’s practice. They include representing His Highness Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco in the Court of Appeal in a libel and Data Protection Act claim against the online publisher Elaph; defending Channel 5 in the Court of Appeal in respect of their programme Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!; representing producers for the feature documentary Billion Dollar Game in their defence of High Court proceedings brought by the owners of the video game franchise Grand Theft Auto; providing various high-net-worth individuals with advice regarding their search engine presence/the ‘right to be forgotten’; representing dozens of phone hacking victims in claims against Mirror Group and News Group Newspapers, netting over £3 million in damages for his clients; and providing libel and clearance advice on various film and television productions. Leo completed undergraduate and master’s degrees in Music at King’s College London before converting to law and training at media law firm, Carter-Ruck. Leo maintains a keen interest in music.

Liv Lyons

Liv is a Partner in Lee & Thompson’s Music team. She represents a diverse range of clients, from recording artists and songwriters to leading talent agencies and management companies. Her main focus is advising both emerging and established artists on all aspects of their careers. Prior to qualifying as a lawyer, Liv worked in the music industry for a number of years as an artist manager and musician. Liv is passionate about assisting emerging talent in navigating a less precarious path to success and she has built a reputable network of contacts across the music and entertainment industries. Before joining Lee & Thompson in 2019, Liv trained and worked in specialist music law firm, Clintons, where she gained substantial experience.

Lizzie Payne-James

Lizzie is a Partner in Lee & Thompson’s Music Group. Lizzie joined Lee & Thompson in 2015 and represents a diverse range of clients, not always confined to the music industry, from record-breaking artists to boutique agencies and rights-holders. Lizzie read Chinese Studies at the University of Cambridge and lived in Beijing as part of her course. After completing her LLB, she trained at the international law firm Hogan Lovells and was seconded to the firm’s Hong Kong office before completing her training in the firm’s Intellectual Property department. Upon qualification, she decided to combine her vocation of law with her passion for music, and she still enjoys moments of using her Chinese when needed by her clients.

Luke Carey

Luke is a Partner within our Film & TV Group and advises on all matters related to the development, production, financing and distribution of film projects. Prior to joining Lee & Thompson, Luke trained and qualified at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. His time at the City firm included secondments to the in-house legal teams of Tesco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Subsea 7. Luke brings invaluable knowledge of the sector he now works in; he spent almost a decade working in the film industry, predominantly for production outfit Zephyr Films.

Malcolm Murray

Malcolm is a partner and heads up Lee & Thompson’s Corporate & Commercial Group. He has many years’ experience advising on company, corporate, corporate finance and general commercial deals for a range of clients operating across the whole creative sector, including music, TV, sport, fashion and design, live events and exhibitions, advertising and marketing services, brands, digital, publishing, film and theatre. He advises on all types of corporate deals in the creative sector including structuring start ups, mergers and acquisitions, joint venture arrangements, private equity investments, shareholder agreements, management buy ins and outs and complex earn-out structures and is very familiar with the issues which tend to arise on creative industry deals including those relating to the ownership of IP and the retention of key creative individuals. Notable deals that Malcolm has advised on include: Sony Music on its acquisition of Essential Music Lionsgate UK on its investments in Primal Media and Potboiler TV BMG Rights Management on its acquisitions of RAM Records and the Pete Waterman catalogues David Beckham and DB Ventures in relation to the joint venture, Seven Global (the vehicle which manages David’s commercial rights) with Global Brands Group TV distribution company, TCB Media Rights on its sale to Kew Media Group World Productions on its sale to ITV Various on and off screen creative TV talent on their umbrella arrangements with “Super Indies” including, Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones (Endemol), Benedict Cumberbatch (Studiocanal) Andy Davenport (Shine), Matt Lucas (All3Media),Tony Wood (Cineflix), Derek Wax (Endemol), Route 24 (ITV Studios) Eleven Film (C4 Growth Fund), Simon Crawford-Collins (BBCW) and Corona (Fremantle) Premiership Rugby, administrator of the Gallagher Premiership, on its company structure and constitution and on its sponsorship portfolio including its 2018 title rights agreement with new title sponsor, Gallagher Nicola Shindler on the sale of Red Production Company to Studiocanal Various acquisitions and disposals of live events and exhibitions for many of the leading UK industry figures including the likes of CloserStill Media, SME, Upper Street, Angus Montgomery, Phil Soar, Peter Jones, Richard Hease, John Bednall and Richard-Copley Smith Blue Raincoat on its acquisition of Chrysalis Records from Warner Music 1966 Entertainment on its management of the commercial interests of the England national football squad including the landmark agreement with the FA regulating the use of the commercial rights in Team England Merlin and Atlantis producer Urban Myth on the sale of a stake in that company to Studiocanal Steve Winwood on the sale of his music publishing company to Kobalt Ignite experiential agency on its sale to Wasserman Media Group Ad agency 180 Holdings BV on its sale to Omnicom, the London partners of Fallon on its sale to Publicis and the London partners of Anomaly on their deal with Anomaly in New York Argonon on its acquisition of Windfall Films and of Transparent Television Digital marketing agency Squeeze on its sale to DonerCardwell Hawkins, ChannelFlip Media on its sale to Shine and youth trend agency Rough Hill on its sale to Chime Communications Malcolm has a post graduate certificate in Sports Law from Kings College, London.

Mark Stafford

Mark is a partner in the firm’s Dispute Resolution, Brand Protection and Digital & Technology Groups. He joined Lee & Thompson in 2006 and handles all types of contentious work across the media and entertainment industries, for both individual talent and corporate clients. Mark advises on the full spectrum of music industry disputes, from copyright infringement matters to breach of contract claims, acting for artists, labels, publishers, management companies and agents, and has been involved in a number of high profile Court actions. He was instructed by the Wailers in their well-publicised litigation against Island Records and has recently acted for Lily Allen in High Court proceedings. Mark represents a number of talent clients, from mainstream heavyweights such as One Direction, Tom Jones, and Queen, through to more niche artists, such as FKA Twigs, Stormzy and Joey Negro. Mark also represents a number of film and television clients, advising producers, distributors, financiers and agents on all types of contentious issues, as well as advising talent clients, such as Stephen Fry, Bill Bailey and Matt Lucas, on brand protection matters. Mark has a particularly strong reputation for pre-broadcast copyright and libel clearance work, which he regularly undertakes for the producers of high-profile feature films and television series. Recent highlights include ‘American Honey’, ‘The Man From Mo’Wax’, ‘Marcella’ and ‘Saddam Goes To Hollywood’. An increasing part of Mark’s practice is his privacy and defamation work, in which he has represented a number of celebrities and corporate clients in disputes with print publications and online media platforms. A member of the firm’s dedicated Digital & Technology Group, Mark also provides advice on disputes arising from internet activity, including online infringement, digital piracy and social media issues. He also advises on brand protection matters, including digital asset protection, trade mark registration and domain name acquisition.

Martyn Bailey

Partner, Dispute Resolution

Mike Brookes

Mike is a partner in the Dispute Resolution department and head of the firm's Reputation Protection Group. He joined Lee & Thompson in 1998 and has played a key role in creating the firm's reputation for quality dispute resolution, handling the full range of copyright and contractual disputes for clients within the industries of music, film, television and sport, and ranging from artists and actors to record labels and production companies. Much of his work involves protecting the reputation of some of the firm’s highest profile clients. Various battles with the press have been fought and won for well-known names, such as One Direction and its members, Jude Law, Eddie Redmayne, Frankie Boyle, Paul Hollywood, Christopher Eccleston and Charlotte Church. He has also acted for a number of prominent figures in industry and politics, even royalty. In 2017, Mike successfully represented His Highness Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco in the Court of Appeal in a libel and Data Protection Act claim against the online publisher Elaph. The case has been the subject of much academic discussion in the ongoing debate as to whether claims under the DPA for the “tort of inaccuracy” now provide Claimants with an alternative, often easier, route to vindication than the traditional libel route. In 2016 Mike obtained the much talked about privacy injunction against the Mail on Sunday preventing it from publishing details of a police investigation which the Court found attracted a “reasonable expectation of privacy” (ERY v Associated Newspapers). 2016 also saw Mike and his team acting for dozens of claimants and recovering substantial damages for them in the high profile hacking litigation against the Daily Mirror. In 2014 Mike secured a rare anti-harassment injunction against the paparazzi for Harry Styles, for which he was acknowledged as Lawyer of the Week by The Times newspaper. In 2012 Mike ran what is likely to have been the last ever trial by jury in a defamation action, successfully suing the Mirror on behalf of longstanding client Frankie Boyle who obtained damages of over £50,000 after the paper wrongly labelled him a racist. Also fully immersed in the film and television world, Mike has a significant copyright and defamation clearance practice acting for producer clients on major feature films and television productions, including the Oasis documentary “Supersonic“, “The Theory of Everything” and “The Darkest Hour” for Working Title; and “Broadchurch” for Kudos.

Nick Swimer

Nick is a partner working across the firm’s Commercial and Film & TV Groups. Nick works with all parties in the content value chain including broadcasters, publishers, producers, distributors, operational and tech intermediaries and brands. He has acted as counsel to various industry bodies, helped draft the US advertising trade body’s media sales template agreement and has contributed to various industry advertising reports. Nick trained at Nabarro (now CMS) and after 5 years joined Channel 4 as Head of Legal for Advertising and Board Counsel, and was the principal adviser, sitting with the executive board, on all regulatory and governance matters. In 2011, Nick joined Reed Smith as a partner in the Entertainment & Media practice, where he headed up the TV & Film group supporting broadcasters and producers in relation to content production, distribution and M&A and advised media owners, ad-tech intermediaries and brands on advertising sales and marketing issues. On behalf of some of the world’s leading brands, Nick has negotiated their worldwide media sales agreements ensuring that brands have full transparency in respect of spend, benefits and campaign placement. He also advises media owners in relation to commercial, content distribution, operational and regulatory matters. In 2015, Nick brokered the deal between Channel 4 and Sacha Baron Cohen to set up Sacha’s UK production vehicle, Spelthorne Community Television (named after Ali G’s hometown). He subsequently joined Spelthorne as its commercial director whilst maintaining his legal practice. Nick managed Spelthorne’s legal and business affairs scripted and non-scripted slate, oversaw finance and distribution and associate produced several programmes. Nick rejoined the Reed Smith partnership full time in 2021. Nick joined Lee & Thompson in 2024 and is praised in the legal directories as providing invaluable client support, understanding the media industry intimately and providing client-focused, pragmatic advice.

Nicki Parfitt

Nicki trained at the city firm Denton Hall and, after qualifying in 1993, spent two years in their media department specialising in publishing and libel law and also acting for a number of film and television production and distribution companies. In 1996, Nicki joined Pearson Television and became Head of Legal and Business Affairs for Pearson Television Productions in continental Europe and Latin America. In 1998, she was appointed as the Head of Legal and Business Affairs and a Board Director of Portman Entertainment Group (now Digital Rights Group). During this time Portman established itself as a prominent packager, executive producer and sales agent of international feature films and television drama programming and Nicki developed an expertise in the financing, production and distribution of high profile UK and international productions and co-productions. Nicki joined Lee & Thompson as a partner in April 2001. In 2006 she left to pursue another role as a director in the film sales sector and returned to the firm as a partner in 2011. She represents a number of financiers, sales agents and production companies. Her sales agency work is unique in that it is unprecedented for a private practice lawyer to have worked so extensively within the film sales sector as well as running a film sales agency.

Reno Antoniades

Reno is managing partner of Lee & Thompson. He trained at the City firm Herbert Smith and spent the first two years of his career in their corporate department. It was at Olswang that he began his career in the film and television industries and in 1994 Reno joined Lee & Thompson where he has built up the film and television practice from a near standing start to where it is today. With 22 fee earners, the group is acknowledged as being the largest team of lawyers in the UK working in the creative audio-visual sector. Recognised for his extensive experience and ability to manage and close complex deals, Reno has, for many years, been acknowledged by the industry as one of the leading film and television content lawyers in the UK and represents an extensive list of independent film and television production companies.

Richard Lever

Richard is a partner and heads Lee & Thompson’s Television Group, advising a diverse and extensive television client list which includes most of the UK’s leading television production companies. He advises on all areas of the television industry, including the creation of talent based TV production companies and the setting up and financing of high end television projects. Richard was actively involved with PACT, having served on the PACT Council for a number of years and was extensively involved in policy making affecting producers across the television industry. In particular, Richard advised PACT’s TV policy group on the Terms of Trade for UK broadcasters which has provided significant opportunities for UK ‘indies’.

Robert Lee

Robert Lee co-founded Lee & Thompson in 1983 and is now a consultant at the firm. Since he qualified in 1970 he has been pre-eminent in his chosen field. The opening lyrics of Roxy Music's 1972 debut single "Virginia Plain" are "Make me a deal and make it straight, all signed and sealed I'll take it to Robert Lee I'll show it…". Earlier in his career, Robert acted for many of the large independent record companies which have now been acquired by the majors including A&M Records, Virgin Records, Anchor Records, Island Records and Tamla Motown. He now acts for a number of high-profile recording artists. Robert is frequently instructed as an expert witness in music industry disputes. In addition, he has developed an expertise in relation to book publishing deals and acts for an increasing number of music business executives in relation to their employment arrangements.

Sam Goodman

Sam is a partner in Lee & Thompson’s Corporate & Commercial Group. He joined from City law firm Macfarlanes, where he trained and specialised in commercial law and corporate transactions. Sam advises on a range of commercial matters with a focus on technology, digital media, IP, branding and sponsorship. He represents businesses and talent across the creative industries, including film, TV, music, sport, theatre, publishing, leisure, live events and fashion & design. He is a member of the firm’s Marketing & Advertising sector team and sits on the board of Outvertising, the LGBTQ+ steering committee for the advertising industry. Sam regularly provides specialist input in relation to talent and agency arrangements; IP licensing; sponsorship and endorsement deals; SaaS, ecommerce and tech platforms; advertising compliance; and cybersecurity. He also has expertise in the developing Web3 space, having advised on a number of prominent NFT deals and metaverse activations. On the Corporate side, Sam assists companies and founders in seeking and securing investment, and has experience in facilitating pre-seed, seed and Series A/B funding for start-up and early-stage companies. Sam speaks at industry events and seminars and frequently hosts legal clinics for aspiring entrepreneurs. Clients praise his “excellent commercial understanding”, “pragmatic approach” and “reliability and consistency“. CONTACT

Sam Tatton-Brown

Sam is a partner in Lee & Thompson’s film and TV group. He joined the firm in 2013 from Davenport Lyons where he was one of the principal partners in the film and TV group. Sam’s practice covers all areas of film, television and other audio-visual rights, production, finance and exploitation with a particular emphasis on film and TV finance. After completing his training at Frere Cholmeley Bischoff, Sam gained experience in Clifford Chance’s Debt capital markets group before joining Davenport Lyons in 1999. Sam has represented many of the UK based banks active in film and television financing and is recognised as a major player in this field. Examples of his work include acting as one of the principal advisers to RBS on over 80 productions that it financed between 2000 and 2006; advising Barclays Bank in relation to award winning TV series ‘Parades End’ for HBO and BBC; acting for Alliance & Leicester in relation to ‘Casino Royale’; advising Piccadilly Pictures in relation to investment in films such as ‘Corialanus’, ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’, ‘Hunky Dory’ and ‘Numbers Station’. Sam was also responsible for devising the documentation that has now become industry standard for banks to discount BBC and C4 commissions from independent producers.

Sarah Cundall

Sarah is an Associate in Lee & Thompson’s Film & TV Department, advising financiers, producers, sales agents and distributors on matters involving the financing, development, production and distribution of film and television productions. Sarah draws on her commercial law and litigation experience from previous private practice roles in addition to her first-hand knowledge of the television industry; prior to joining Lee & Thompson as a Film & TV paralegal in 2017, Sarah assisted with production and editing for an independent production company. Sarah read law at the University of Leeds and went on to complete the LPC at the BPP Law School.

Stephen Spence

Stephen is a Partner in our Film & TV Group. A media finance specialist, he advises a wide range of clients on the structuring and completion of complex financing arrangements for film and television. This involves drafting and negotiating the full range of transaction documents for the development, production and exploitation of content. In addition to acting for financiers, Stephen represents film and television production companies on all aspects of development, production and distribution. Having read law at Oxford, Stephen trained at Slaughter and May, qualifying into its corporate finance team. He followed his passion for film and left the City to help set up and run an independent film finance and production company as well as a separate vehicle focusing on the development of film and television content in collaboration with some of the UK’s leading production companies. In 2017, Stephen began working with Ingenious Media as a consultant, acting as lead lawyer and advisor on many of the organisation’s film and television transactions. Stephen has acted as Executive Producer on numerous feature films including the forthcoming Netflix drama “Worth” starring Michael Keaton, the Amazon biopic “Seberg” starring Kristen Stewart, Gurinder Chadha’s “Blinded by The Light”, “Military Wives” featuring Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan, “Minamata” starring Johnny Depp, and John Banville’s adaptation of his own Booker Prize winning novel, “The Sea”.

Tim Fowler

Tim is a Partner in the firm’s Music Group. Tim is highly regarded by clients for whom he assists in relation to a broad range of music industry issues. He regularly advises on, negotiates and drafts core music industry contracts including recording, publishing, management, production and live performance agreements, as well as contracts pertaining to his clients’ ancillary rights, including merchandise, branding and sponsorship deals. He represents businesses and individuals with longstanding involvement with the music industry as well as new and emerging talent at the outset of their careers. After training in the city at Baker & McKenzie, Tim commenced his music practice at Russells in 2007 before moving to Harbottle & Lewis in 2010. He joined Lee & Thompson in 2013. Tim is a regular speaker at Music Managers Forum events.

Will Everiit

Will Everitt - Partner, Music Will is a partner in the firm’s Music Group having specialised in media and entertainment law since qualification and is a named lawyer in the Legal 500. Will’s music clients include artists, managers, record labels, publishers, producers, DJs and brands all of whom value the tailored advice he can give across the whole range of music industry contracts and related intellectual property matters. Will also has significant experience advising on live events, touring arrangements, sponsorship and endorsements. Over the past four years Will has been instructed to represent the interests of all of the contestants in each TV series The Voice UK, including the most recent series on ITV. In addition, Will adds his experience and expertise across the broader media and creative industries and is part of the firm’s Digital & Social Group. He regularly advises clients on contractual matters and the acquisition and exploitation of content via digital media. Will also represents clients in theatre and performing arts including composers, authors and writers providing bespoke advice across the whole spectrum of contractual, legal and commercial issues surrounding the development and production of stage plays, musical theatre and events.

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