One Direction lawyers Lee & Thompson announces merger with Forbes Anderson Free
Law firms Lee & Thompson and Forbes Anderson Free announced today that they would be merging on 1 January 2016.
Media and entertainment litigators Forbes Anderson Free will be moving into creative industry specialists Lee & Thompson’s West End offices and adopting the Lee & Thompson name.
The merger will boost partner numbers at Lee & Thompson, whose clients include One Direction, Queen and film company Working Title, from 20 to 24.
Forbes Anderson Free founding partner Andrew Forbes will head up the merged firm’s dispute resolution group, while Gordon Williams and Mike Brookes will continue on as heads of the brand protection group and the reputation management group respectively.
“If there is such a thing as the perfect match, then this is it,” said Reno Antoniades, managing partner at Lee & Thompson. “The Forbes Anderson Free partners and team have done a superb job in building a firm that is truly at the top of its game and we are delighted that we are able to come together in this way, adding further expertise and depth to our existing litigation offering. This is a very exciting move for both firms and I know we are all looking forward to witnessing the impact of this relationship.”
While, Andrew Forbes added: “We have been looking for the next exponential step in development of our practice. Lee & Thompson has a first class reputation and client base, and we share a very similar culture, approach and vision. This merger presents a fantastic opportunity to create an even greater powerhouse in the media and entertainment world, which we believe will bring great benefits to our clients and team.”