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Harbottle & Lewis LLP 
Hanover House 14 Hanover Square London W1S 1HP
Lex 100 winner
Favoured by 6 users (Register to add this entry to your favourites)

The trainee verdict

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The lowdown (in their own words...)


Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'It is completely unique'; 'quality of clients, laid-back people and the fact that they said at interview that you would have a lot of responsibility during the training contract'; 'because of its medium size, its reputation in the fields of media and entertainment, and the sectors it specialises in, in particular film'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'Significantly better work, shorter hours, more responsibility'; 'far greater client contact'; 'greater responsibility, although this also means it can get quite stressful'; 'the hours can end up being as long as those in larger firms'; 'other firms tend to have more of an emphasis on teaching'

Best thing about the firm? 'The clients, the opportunity to work in niche, exciting areas of the law, a real commercial focus, the size'; 'free lunch everyday, which everyone eats together'; 'small number of trainees'; 'cutting-edge work'; 'quality of work and approachable partners'; 'central location although the tourists on Oxford Street can get annoying' 

Worst thing about the firm? 'The lack of support for trainees when working late'; 'competition for the really popular seats'; 'could organise/encourage more social events'; 'no pension'; 'trainees aren't allocated a secretary so end up doing a lot themselves'; 'comically low budget for trainee drinks'; 'little firm-wide socialising'

Best moment? 'Too many to pick one, most of which are confidential anyway - plenty of highlights'; 'the social occasions!'; 'seeing a matter I was working on in the newspapers'; 'attending a high-profile hearing at the RCJ'; 'a number of things, from attending good hearings at court to getting praise for work done'; 'attending hearings at court'

Worst moment? 'The predictable lunchroom spillage'; 'staying until 3am on corporate transaction'; 'making an application to extend time for service in front of a very grumpy Master at the RCJ'; '14-hour photocopying stint late into the night'; 'getting to court to file two applications and realising that I'd forgotten to get the cheques signed to pay for them'



The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

'True media expert' Harbottle & Lewis provides high-quality advice to companies and individuals, particularly in the media and entertainment industries. Many lawyers here are actively involved with initiatives to support the growth and development of the creative arts in the UK. Media deals in the sub-£50m bracket remain a theme for the corporate practice which succeeded in breaking firm deal records in 2008.


The star performers

Asset finance and leasing; Intellectual property; Brand management; Media and entertainment; Commercial property; M&A: smaller deals up to £50m; Defamation and privacy; Sport; Family; Venture capital. IT and telecoms;

The deals

Advised MAMA Group Plc on its joint venture with HMV; advised defendant in The Whiter Shade of Pale dispute in House of Lords and acted for claimants Lucasfilm in the Star Wars case; advised producers of 'Spring Awakening' on transferring the musical from Broadway to the West End; advised Cadbury on its sponsorship of the 2012 Olympics.

The clients

Comic Relief; England Cricket Team; London Seed Capital; Powerboat P1 Management; Rockstar Games; RBS; Scion Film; The Kevin Spacey Foundation; Universal Music Group; Virgin Atlantic.

The money


The Lex 100 verdict

If you want to do media law, you'll already know about Harbottle & Lewis, one of the best firms in the field. Be prepared to join the long line of applicants, however, as the firm continues to be incredibly popular and only recruits a small intake. Aside from its stellar media reputation, current trainees were attracted by the 'quality of clients, laid back people and the fact that they said at interview that you'd have a lot of responsibility'. Others liked the 'interesting mix of quality work' in an office full of 'down-to-earth people'. In other words, there's no room for star-struck employees who might ask clients such as Jamie Cullum for autographs. If you're lucky enough to secure a contract you'll get a thorough grounding in the core commercial areas - corporate, litigation, property, employment - as well as the more 'sexy' areas like music, film, theatre or TV (perhaps unsurprisingly there is 'competition for the really popular seats'). There's also the chance of a client secondment, usually at one of the firm's aviation clients. A Lex 100 Winner for job satisfaction, trainees here say they get 'far greater client contact, greater responsibility' with a 'quality of work which seems much higher than at other firms.' Whilst one says work/life balance is 'relatively good - usually leave by 6:30pm', another warns 'the hours can end up being as long as those in larger firms'. Another says that the greater responsibility available 'means it can get quite stressful'. That said, this is a friendly firm with 'approachable partners'. Staff are encouraged to mingle and are lucky enough to have 'free lunch everyday, which everyone eats together'. Outside office hours, trainees would appreciate more social events and would like the firm to be a bit more generous, both with pay and 'the comically low budget for trainee drinks'. However, for 'the opportunity to work in niche, exciting areas of the law', this 'completely unique' firm takes some beating.

A day in the life of.....

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About the firm

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