The Legal 500: Law firms score highly for sport and entertainment

YORKSHIRE’S legal community has shown its strength in the technology, media and telecoms sectors, acting for a number of high profile clients, according to The Legal 500.

Here, in the last of a series of articles on the legal industry’s legal bible TheBusinessDesk.com, in association with Grant Thornton, assesses a selection of Yorkshire’s key players in the sectors as highlighted by the annual research on the legal sector.

To view The Legal 500’s list of the leading individual lights from the region’s legal industry, click here.

Sport

Harrogate-based McCormicks is one of three firms topping the table, with Peter McCormick, who is chairman of the Premier League Legal Advisory Group, named as an “outstanding sports lawyer” and a “striker who any informed client would choose to lead his team”.

Addleshaw Goddard fields a national offering, with work in 2008 including advising on a set of complex media rights deals, as well as the establishment of the Indian Cricket Premier League. The firm also boasts UEFA and the FA Premier League as clients.
 
Walker Morris makes up the top tier and regularly represents sports personalities in relation to contracts and intellectual property (IP) rights, as well as football clubs such as Hull City. Chris Caisley is recommended, as is David Hinchliffe for football finance.

In the second tier, Clarion Solicitors’ team, headed by Clive Lawrence, continues to act for the FA Premier League, Liverpool and Arsenal in relation to IP disputes, while name partner Richard Cramer of Cohen Cramer, formed following the merger of Cramer Richards and Howard Cohen & Co, advises clubs and individuals on contracts, image rights and doping issues.

Other firms noted for their work inlcude Blacks Solicitors, which was recently joined by the sports law team from Last Cawthra Feather, including Stephen Lownsbrough and former professional footballers Brian Deane and John Hendrie.

DLA Piper handles sponsorships, sports finance and restructuring and recently advised Sheffield United on a £12.8m fundraising.

Nick Collins at Ford & Warren has expertise advising sports individuals primarily in contentious matters; Irwin Mitchell’s recent work includes advising Sheffield International Venues on arrangements with Rotherham United for the use of Don Valley Stadium as a home ground; and Watson Burton represents a “multitude” of football, cricket and rugby teams across its Newcastle and Leeds offices.

To download a full copy of the latest The Legal 500 chapter on Yorkshire, click here: Legal 500 2009

Media and entertainment

Four firms – Addleshaw Goddard, Clarion Solicitors, Gordons and McCormicks – make up the top tier in this sector.

Addleshaw’s has advised on broadcasting rights deals for clients including The Football League, while Clive Lawrence at Clarion Solicitors acts for regional clients.

At Gordons, Matthew Howarth heads a contentious media team that advises on libel and slander claims for individuals and corporates.

Peter McCormick, at McCormicks, is often instructed in defamation proceedings.

Rollits is also noted for acting for a number of PR and marketing consultants.

Intellectual property and information technology

Five of the ‘Big Six’ law firms – Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Pinsent Masons and Walker Morris, are placed in the first tier.

Addleshaw’s has a “prominent” IP team while both it and DLA Piper are praised for their IT work.

Eversheds has recruited Brian Clayton from Addleshaw Goddard to head its trademark and design filing practice, augmenting an offering that includes health sector and pharmaceutical clients such as Pfizer.

Pinsent Masons has continued to add to its team, with IT disputes specialist Damian Crosse recently recruited from DLA Piper. The firm advised the Office of National Statistics on the procurement of a new IT system, while high-value IP litigator Deborah Bould represented Intercontinental Brands in relation to its Vodkat product, in a test case brought by Diageo.

Walker Morris’ IP team has secured three recent High Court victories, including successfully representing the famous Venetian Hotel Cipriani in the widely publicised defence of its trade mark.

In the second tier, Clarion Solicitors has acted for clients including the FA Premier League in precedent-setting IP disputes, while Paul Sanderson heads HGF Law’s respected two-partner niche IP practice.

Disputes-focused Alex Newman heads Hammonds’ IP team in Leeds, which added Tetra Pak, Bimedia and Pirtek Europe to its client roster in 2008. Combined with IT client wins such as Cattles, MCashback and PA Consulting Group, under Mike Henley, the firm’s profile is “increasingly strong”.

Irwin Mitchell has advised on a variety of IP and IT matters, including recent work for Seven Seas, a subsidiary of Merck, on the IP aspects of the sale of one of its businesses to Bob Martin.

Harrogate-based James Love Legal’s James Love is described as “unusually experienced in patent litigation”. Recommended predominantly for contentious work, this IP boutique has strong credentials in international IP work.

Lee & Priestley’s Louise Handley is “efficient, accurate and prompt”, and heads a practice growing in reputation, while headed by Leigh Martin, Lupton Fawcett has particular strength in patent and design work, although it also caters for all the IP concerns of clients, including Jacuzzi UK Group.

In the next tier, notable mentions are given to Keith Benton at Hull-based Rollits, who is experienced in both IP and IT matters; Virtuoso Legal’s Elizabeth Ward and her team are described as “excellent on all counts”; and Watson Burton’s Ed Meikle heads a Northern IP/IT practice with growing traction in Yorkshire.

Also noted are Hull-based Andrew Jackson, Berwins of Harrogate, Brooke North, Gordons, Gosschalks in Hull, and Keeble Hawson and Wake Smith & Tofields, both in Sheffield.

Tim Lincoln, assurance partner at Grant Thornton in Leeds, said: “There really are ‘premier league’ – and international – players in these fields from firms of all sizes in the region, which is great to see: clients commenting that McCormicks, for example, ‘punches way above its weight and is a true specialist in the field’. 

“The top tiers in this section show the breadth of service available to clients; Addleshaw’s sits in the top tier for all three categories here, but the next constants are Walker Morris, McCormicks and Clarion on the lists in this section, and in the IP sector, HGF fares strongly, showing how much strength and competition there is in the sectors in the region between excellent firms.

“The sporting sector appears to have scope for riding out the current economic woes, as businesses and individuals look to protect their name, reputation and intellectual property. 

“However, with pressure from advertising and sponsorship revenue affecting the sports world spend, and with PR and marketing being affected for the same reason, the mix of work in these areas may shift toward contentious, dispute-resolution and defamation work, so firms which are agile and can respond quickly to these changes may well fare the best. 

“In terms of IP, Walker Morris is again cited as top tier – really leading the way in the success that a single-site firm can achieve.”

To download a full copy of the latest The Legal 500 chapter on Yorkshire, click here: Legal 500 2009