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Harbottle & Lewis LLP 
Hanover House 14 Hanover Square London W1S 1HP
Lex 100 winner
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The trainee verdict

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The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others?'Reputation in its field and very friendly at interview'; 'excellent reputation for media and entertainment' 'sport has always been my main interest and the firm is extremely strong in this area'; 'it was clear after five minutes of my first interview that this was a firm with down-to-earth people'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms?'Much less stressful and more enjoyable'; 'better variety of clients and more hands-on' 'there is no doubt that the work here is far more interesting than at other firms. You get decent exposure to the exciting stuff and you are constantly challenged if you show that you are keen to contribute'

Best thing about the firm?'The attitude towards office and working life' 'the firm's dedication to its employees' 'the firm is full of down-to-earth people' 'the positive atmosphere throughout the firm' 'the people'; 'great colleagues'; 'incredible client list'; 'its reputation'

Worst thing about the firm?'Would like to have dessert with our free lunch!'; 'I have no complaints'; 'competition for certain seats'; 'limited social life'; 'would like more choice with seat allocation'

Best moment?'Handling my own files'; 'other than the really exciting stuff (which is confidential), meeting household-names is generally good fun'; 'being offered a job' 'seeing a deal I'd worked on hit the headlines'

Worst moment?'First couple of weeks, always nerve-wracking'; 'an embarrassing spill in the lunchroom'; 'going into work after the Christmas party'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Harbottle & Lewis is one of the best-known media firms in the UK, and a leading adviser to media and entertainment clients across the board in areas including music, film and television (including film finance), advertising and sponsorship, computer games, theatre, publishing and franchising. The four-partner M&A practice excels on sub-£50m deals with a media or entertainment element.

The star performers

Top-ranking departments according to The Legal 500
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 Channel 4 on £28m joint venture with Emap to acquire 50% of Box Television; works closely with Take Two Interactive and Rockstar Games (publisher and developer of the Grand Theft Auto series); advises on West End productions such as Hairspray, and TV series Any Dream Will Do; advised the PGA European Tour on the grant of rights to Leisurecorp to stage the Dubai World Championship.

The clients

David Beckham; London Seed Capital; Ministry of Sound; José Mourinho; Omnifone; Kevin Pietersen; Penguin Books; SCi/Eidos; Virgin Atlantic.

The Lex 100 verdict

Among the elite firms for media and entertainment, Harbottle & Lewis is one of our top scorers this year. Bettering its tally of last year by one, it is a Lex 100 Winner in a knockout eight categories. With the highest scores for job satisfaction, living up to expectations, manageable stress levels and friendliness, and not far behind for work/life balance, quality of work and client contact, this is a very impressive set of results. Interestingly this year the firm also features highly in the confident of being kept on category, whereas just a year ago trainees gave the firm a much lower score. If you're lucky enough to secure a contract here you'll be one of just four trainees each year. As such, there's nowhere to hide so you'll need to be confident and capable - 'you get decent exposure to the exciting stuff and you are constantly challenged if you show you are keen to contribute'. Expect to be handling some of your own files and dealing with clients from early on. And those clients encompass the great and the good of the entertainment and showbiz worlds - as one trainee nonchalantly admits, 'meeting household names is generally good fun ': cup of coffee, Mr Beckham? What makes Harbottle such a popular choice with clients and trainees alike, however, is its depth of sector knowledge. There's plenty of meaty corporate work, as well as commercial property and litigation, plus some interesting niche specialisms like sport. With a small pool of trainees, social life can be somewhat limited, but the friendliness of colleagues is a great plus - 'it was clear after five minutes of my first interview that this was a firm with down-to-earth people' - media luvvies, beware. If you 've got your feet on the ground, want to train at one of the best media firms the UK has to offer and think you can meet the firm's high standards, look no further.

A day in the life of...

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About the firm

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