Media & Entertainment: Film & Television

Andrew Thompson has a fantastic roster of talent clients built over a long career advising on the music industry. He is one of the firm's founding partners and continues to assist with commercial and contractual agreements for composers, producers, managers and artists.

Robert Lee has a long and successful track record as an adviser to both artists and record labels. He has worked with independent, up-and-coming and internationally popular acts, advising on both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Reno Antoniades is the firm's managing partner. He is recognised as one of the country's leading film lawyers, advising on finance and myriad production, sales and distribution agreements.

"Reno is an outstanding Oscar-winning lawyer and executive producer."

"Reno is very impressive."

Christos Michaels leads the firm's film practice. He acts for financiers, distributors and sales agents, as well as UK and international producers and studios large and small.

"Christos is a brilliant lawyer and a better man."

"Christos has fantastic knowledge and experience. He is a joy to work with."

"It is always a pleasure to work with Christos."

Lawrence Engel leads the firm's music practice. He is the relationship partner to many of the best-loved UK artists to have emerged in recent years.

"Lawrence is very commercial and knows what to focus on."

"Lawrence is very commercial and works very hard for his clients to get them the best possible deals."

Richard Lever leads the firm's TV practice. He is relied upon by production companies and talent-side clients for all facets of production finance and the commercial arrangements required to bring shows to people's screens.

"Richard is a market leader in the television space."

"In my view, Richard is the top TV lawyer in the UK."

Gordon Williams represents talent and industry clients in all manner of contract, copyright and brand litigation. He has extensive experience supporting clients in the USA with cross-border matters.

Mike Brookes is a seasoned media litigator recommended for all manner of commercial and copyright infringement disputes. He also leads the firm's reputation protection team and acts on behalf of a number of high-profile music clients in defamation cases.

"Mike is a brilliant clearance lawyer who has helped us out numerous times in some difficult situations."

"In an environment which is populated by big egos, Mike is refreshingly down to earth, sensible and easy to work with."

Dominic Bray is head of the dispute resolution department at Lee & Thompson. His contentious media practice covers contractual disputes, advertising clearance, sponsorship work, IP litigation and regulatory compliance.

"Dominic has served the agency world extremely well and has a very close relationship with us."

"Dominic is very knowledgeable about our industry. I trust his approach and advice."

"I have a lot of respect for Dominic and he is a very nice guy."

Huw Morris advises on the full span of copy clearance, intellectual property, commercial and regulatory matters. His clients include brands and advertising agencies, as well as high-profile individuals involved in social media campaigns and partnerships.

"Huw is a great help to us."

"Huw is very active in the broader advertising and marketing industry."

Julian Ward represents a number of video game developers and publishers in a variety of matters, including contractual, corporate and intellectual property issues.

"Julian is very valuable in terms of strategy and approach."

Lizzie Payne-James is lauded for her work as a talent-side legal and commercial adviser to both emerging and established music acts. She also frequently acts for companies such as independent record labels and boutique agencies.

"Lizzie knows the music industry inside and out and is very good technically too."

"Lizzie is a very good lawyer with a very good profile."

Mark Stafford is best known as a music litigator and acts for artists, agents, record labels, management companies and publishers in contract disputes of all kinds. He is further recommended for copyright and trade mark litigation.

"I have relied on Mark for years and I will continue to rely on his services for years to come."

"Mark is excellent. He is very efficient and gets straight to the point."

Martyn Bailey has a flourishing media dispute resolution practice, with particular expertise in the music industry. He is experienced in a range of copyright issues as well as professional negligence and partnership disputes.

"Martyn Bailey is a good tactician and understands what litigation can achieve."

Nicki Parfitt represents corporate clients from all sides of the film and television industries, including financiers, sales agents and production companies. She is one of the UK's leading experts in sales and distribution due to her previous in-house experience in this sector.

"Nicki is approachable and extremely knowledgeable."

"Nicki is a true fountain of knowledge - admirable, diligent and a pleasure to work with."

Sam Tatton-Brown is a leading expert on film and TV finance, advising banks, investment companies, production houses and streaming platforms. He is also recommended for advice on television programme commissioning.

"What he doesn't know about financing isn't worth knowing."

Lee Stone advises producers, financiers, post-production houses and distributors on all facets of film production and finance. He is well versed in dealing with the international aspects of producing and financing projects based in the USA.

"Lee is our main partner and has de facto become a crucial part of our organisation. He is always dependable and very commercially minded."

Liv Lyons is sought after for her expertise in branding deals on behalf of high-profile music talent, and in media rights licensing more widely. She also acts for talent agencies and management companies.

"Liv really understands the industry and is a pleasure to work with."