Laurence Harbottle and Brian Lewis met at Law School in Guildford in 1951 and established a law practice together in December 1955 in South Molton Street, London.

Brian, whilst working for Allen & Overy in the City, had developed a special interest in the legal aspects of film production. Laurence pursued his theatre and film interests and so at weekends he spent time creating and running a professional summer theatre company. In those early days of Harbottle & Lewis, Brian concentrated on film guarantees and film productions and Laurence mainly acted for film producers as well as writers, actors and technicians.

Over the years the balance of work changed and work of the film trade was slowly supplanted first by television and then music industry assignments. Technological advances have inevitably shaped the practice as it is today, with media and entertainment now encompassing the internet, e-commerce and interactive entertainment.

Harbottle & Lewis has developed a varied and ever-expanding client base, ranging from actors, celebrities, sports icons and rock stars to dot com entrepreneurs, company directors, financiers and airline executives.

The firm is still based in the West End, in Hanover Square. It has over 180 staff, including 24 partners and over 80 other lawyers. Harbottle & Lewis' reputation for handling high profile work is unrivalled and it continues to be at the forefront of legal services in the creative industries.