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Cyber attacks on UK retailers: Michael Yates’ comments featured in the Financial Times

Posted on by Anna Weeden

“Hacking a well-known retail brand generates leverage…because the victim will want to avoid brand reputational damage at all costs to stop eroding customer trust.”

Michael Yates’ comments on the recent cyber attack on Marks and Spencer, which is still causing havoc for shoppers of the popular retail brand a fortnight on, have been featured in the Financial Times.

Now that two other major household names have also been targeted and a police investigation has been launched, the article discusses why hackers decide to target such trusted brands.

The full article is available here to those with a subscription.

FAMILY TEAM SHORTLISTED AT THE CHAMBERS HIGH NET WORTH AWARDS 2025

Posted on by Dea Dragashi

We have been shortlisted for the Family Law Team of the Year category at the Chambers High Net Worth Awards 2025.

These awards celebrate firms and teams who are at the top of their profession in key jurisdictions across Europe. They recognise achievements over the past 12 months including outstanding work and impressive strategic growth and are based on interviews and extensive research by over 250 analysts as part of the research for the recent edition of Chambers High Net Worth Guide.

To read the full list of nominees, click here.

Harbottle & Lewis and Shireen Peermohamed awarded recommended status by WIPR

Posted on by Dea Dragashi

We have been awarded ‘Recommended‘ status by World IP Review (WIPR) in their UK trade mark rankings for the second year running. Shireen Peermohamed, partner and head of our intellectual property practice, has also been recognised as a ‘Recommended’ individual for non-contentious IP work.

These rankings recognise the leading law firms and practitioners in the UK’s trade mark landscape. They cover non-contentious work, including trade mark filing, prosecution, strategy, and portfolio management, and contentious work, encompassing trade mark litigation, dispute resolution and enforcement. Those ranked consist of a mix of traditional law firms, specialist IP boutiques and attorney firms.

To read the full list of rankings, click here.

Harbottle & Lewis contributes to 2025 Venture Capital Term Sheet Guide

Posted on by Dea Dragashi

Members of our venture capital and emerging companies practice have contributed to the latest Venture Capital Term Sheet Guide published by HSBC Innovation Banking in April 2025.

The report collates information from a pool of 588 equity term sheets signed in 2024 and provides detailed analysis of the key terms for equity fundraising, from seed to series C+, to provide an independent view of ‘market standards’ in VC deals.

Click here to read the report.

Following our contribution to the report, managing associate Rosie Marston was interviewed by HSBC Innovation Banking to offer her insight into the report’s findings and the latest trends in investment activity. Watch the full interview below.

Harbottle & Lewis advises majority shareholders of MyTAG on the sale of their shares to Kinexio

Posted on by Dea Dragashi

We have advised the majority shareholders of MyTAG, a global software and property technology company, on the sale of their shares to Kinexio (formerly Mallcomm), backed by Synova.

MyTAG offers solutions for proof of presence, proof of compliance and enhanced security to safeguard people, property and assets. MyTAG’s products will be integrated into Kinexio’s property management platform, a leading enterprise software solution for property management.

The deal has established Kinexio as a market leader in property technology with an expanded suite of innovative software solutions.

We advised the majority shareholders on all aspects of the transaction, including negotiating the sale agreement and ancillary documentation.

Our team was led by partner Tom Macleod and associate Alex Gays, with support from associates Matthew Shannon and Kate Merry. Partner David Scott advised on corporate tax matters. We worked alongside IMAP (International Mergers and Acquisitions Partnership) and Bevan Buckland.

On working with Harbottle & Lewis, MyTAG founder Mike George said: “The Harbottle team were exceptional on this deal throughout. Tom, Alex and the rest of the team guided us through every aspect of the transaction with calm composure. Their industry experience and technical knowledge are second to none and made us feel at ease at every step.”

Commenting on the deal, Harbottle & Lewis partner Tom Macleod said: “It was a pleasure acting for Mike and co on this exit. It is great to see the years of hard work and commitment by Mike rewarded and it will be exciting to see the next step for MyTAG as part of Kinexio.” 

Harbottle & Lewis promotes Harry Bresslaw, Ed Lane and Alasdair Wilson to the partnership

Posted on by Alex Molyneux

Harbottle & Lewis has announced three partner promotions today in line with its commitment to continued growth in the media and creative industries and private wealth sector, and to the expansion of its corporate practice. Harry Bresslaw, Ed Lane and Alasdair Wilson will each join the partnership with effect from 1 April 2025.

Harry is an entertainment lawyer with a focus on the theatre, film and TV industries. He advises producers, creatives, investors and venues across the theatre industry on matters including commissioning, development, production, financing, national and international transfers, licensing, digital captures and other associated sector arrangements. He works with clients both in the UK and beyond, ranging from established West End and Broadway producers to new and emerging producers, on all aspects relating to the creation and exploitation of plays, musicals and other live stage projects. He also provides legal and strategic advice to major film and TV production companies and SVOD platforms, and acts for a number of high-profile individual rights-holders on the protection and exploitation of their IP rights and assets.

Ed advises founders, businesses and investors on a broad range of corporate, corporate finance and commercial matters. He has a particular expertise in the creative industries, including film and TV, video games and music, and in the broader media, entertainment and technology sectors. His practice spans mergers and acquisitions, fundraises from pre-seed to series A and beyond, startups, growth equity investments, music catalogue sales, public takeovers, joint ventures, management incentive arrangements, including EMI options, and SEIS/EIS investments. He is actively involved as a speaker and mentor for a number of different industry accelerators and trade bodies, including IndieLab, BAFTA and UKIE.

Alasdair advises individuals, families and fiduciaries based in the UK and overseas in relation to all matters of international taxation, wealth structuring, global compliance and cross-border estate planning. This includes tax and legal advice to wealth generators or custodians who are moving between countries, seeking to maintain tax efficiency across multiple jurisdictions or passing ownership or control to the next generation. Alasdair has significant experience in advising US-UK clients, individual entrepreneurs and family businesses. He also has a particular interest in clients connected to civil law jurisdictions, in particular France, Belgium and Switzerland, as well as to Latin America and the Middle East.

Senior partner Catherine Bedford commented:

“We are thrilled to be welcoming three outstanding lawyers to the partnership. Harry, Ed and Alasdair have continually demonstrated exceptional legal skills, dedication to client care and a drive to bring success to our business. Their promotions will strengthen our offering to individuals, families and companies and will enhance our expertise in key areas including the entertainment and media and private wealth sectors. We look forward to seeing them build on their accomplishments and continue their development as partners.”

For more information, please contact Alex Molyneux, Communications & Marketing Manager: ([email protected])

Harbottle & Lewis partners with Legora to integrate innovative AI platform into its client offering

Posted on by Alex Molyneux

Harbottle & Lewis has announced today that it will partner with Legora (formerly Leya) to integrate Legora’s innovative AI platform into its offering to clients. This technology will maximise efficiency, strengthen operational processes and fuel collaboration in use cases primarily within due diligence work and document review.

Following a structured evaluation of leading AI platforms led by the Harbottle & Lewis innovation team with a particular focus on enhancing the firm’s document review capabilities, the decision was made to adopt the Legora platform and incorporate it into its working practices.

The partnership became effective as of 17 March 2025.

As part of its commitment to fostering a culture of innovation powered by technology, last year the firm launched its internal Innovation Fund which it uses to uncover and invest in innovative solutions to improve the way it works by streamlining legal and business administrative tasks.

Tony Littner, co-managing partner at Harbottle & Lewis and manager of the Innovation Fund, said:

“The announcement of this partnership is an exciting step forward for the firm as we utilise our Innovation Fund to invest in not only the most sophisticated technology but that which fits best with how we do things and addresses the particular needs of our business. Legora’s AI tool will enhance our offering and help to ensure that we remain ahead of the curve when it comes to using technology to deliver the best possible service to our clients.”

Michael Vasalos, head of innovation at Harbottle & Lewis, said:

“We are delighted to be partnering with Legora and adopting its collaborative AI platform and state-of-the-art data extraction technology. After a rigorous evaluation process during which we assessed a range of products from multiple AI providers, it became clear that Legora’s AI tool is the perfect fit for us and will undoubtedly optimise our current processes. Not only is the product one that will provide great value to us and our clients, but Legora’s deep understanding of the legal industry and impressive recent growth were key factors in our decision to partner with them and we are looking forward to working alongside them in exploring further use cases.”

Max Junestrand, CEO at Legora, commented:

“Harbottle & Lewis stands out as a firm that truly understands innovation, demonstrated by their very structured approach when running us through several accuracy and quality benchmarking exercises against alternative solutions. We believe they are the ideal partner for Legora. Together, we’re redefining what’s possible in legal practice; enhancing collaboration, eliminating inefficiencies and delivering meaningful outcomes for clients. This is the future of law and together we’re leading the way.”

About Legora

Legora (formerly Leya) is the world’s first truly collaborative AI for lawyers. With offices in London and Stockholm, Legora is on a mission to empower exceptional lawyers by unleashing their expertise. The platform is utilised in nearly 20 countries by over 250 clients. Legora collaborates with clients to help them work more efficiently, accurately, and devote more time to complex problem solving and high-impact, strategic work.*

*Company description provided by Legora

Caroline Roberjot and Melanie Benson recommended by Spear’s

Posted on by Julia Krol

Caroline Roberjot and Melanie Benson have both been recommended by Spear’s as leading property lawyers for high net worth individuals in the 2025 Spear’s property index released today.

Caroline has been listed as Top Recommended and has been commended as a “seasoned adviser to UHNWs”. Melanie has been given a Recommended ranking and recognised as a specialist in landlord and tenant issues.

The index ranks property lawyers that work with individuals and businesses across the UK, the Middle East and other key international markets who demonstrate “not only an extraordinary depth of knowledge but also an ability to navigate the evolving landscape of property law with skill and precision”. The rankings are based on data gathered from extensive market research involving the assessment of submission forms and nominations, peer reviews, data from third-party sources, references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.

You can find Caroline’s profile here and Melanie’s profile here.

Harbottle & Lewis strengthens client offering with new partner hires

Posted on by Alex Molyneux

Harbottle & Lewis today announced two lateral partner hires to strengthen its client offering. Private client disputes partner Charles Lloyd and reputation management partner Michael Yates will both join the firm in April 2025.

Charles Lloyd arrives at Harbottle & Lewis from Macfarlanes where he has held a leading position within his field for over 30 years, specialising in private client disputes, particularly international trusts and estates litigation. Charles’s client base includes high net worth individuals engaged in complex family and succession-related disputes, often involving multi-jurisdictional offshore trust and corporate structures. Charles’s eminent reputation and extensive experience will enable the firm to build on its leading private client practice with a specific focus on enhancing the contentious work that it does in this space.

Charles commented:

”I am really looking forward to joining Harbottle & Lewis and what is already a strong and highly reputed private client practice. This move provides a great opportunity for me to help build on the firm’s existing expertise and will enable me to contribute towards creating a leading private client disputes practice.”

Michael Yates joins Harbottle & Lewis from international law firm Taylor Wessing. As an information litigator, Michael advises high net worth and high-profile individuals and companies on reputation management, privacy protection, confidentiality, cyber response and media and information law disputes. His expertise aligns perfectly with Harbottle & Lewis’s renowned proficiency in the media, entertainment, technology and private wealth sectors. Michael’s significant focus on cyber response dovetails with the firm’s strategic emphasis on technology, and he will work alongside the firm’s technology and data lawyers to further develop its services in this area.

Michael said:

“I’m delighted to be joining the firm’s market leading media and information group and am very excited to soon be working alongside the firm’s fantastic media, tech, data and cyber experts. I look forward to working with clients to help them navigate what is an ever more hostile and complex media and information landscape, protecting them from threats to their reputation, privacy and information and mitigating the increasing risk of cyber attacks. There is no better place to do this work.”

This strategic expansion underscores Harbottle & Lewis’s commitment to bolstering its highly-regarded private client practice and enhancing its offering to high net worth and often high-profile individuals, as well as expanding and deepening its offering to companies. The addition of Charles and Michael to the partnership demonstrates the firm’s ambition to grow and to provide clients with unparalleled expertise across a spectrum of legal services.

Tony Littner, co-managing partner at Harbottle & Lewis, commented:

“The addition of two such high quality lawyers to our partnership supports the strategic growth of our firm. Focusing deliberately on extending our offering to both our private client and corporate client base, Charles and Michael are perfectly placed to complement our existing practice groups and contribute significantly to our continued growth and success.”

For further information, please contact:

Alex Molyneux, Communications & Marketing Manager ([email protected])

Harbottle & Lewis ranks 10th in RollOnFriday’s Best Law Firms to Work At 2025

Posted on by Alex Molyneux

We are pleased to be ranked 10th in RollOnFriday’s Best Law Firms to Work At 2025. Following our debut in the rankings last year, we continue to be recognised among other leading law firms for fostering a collaborative, engaging and supportive workplace.

Each year, RollOnFriday surveys thousands of people working in private practice to assess their firms across key areas such as career development, management, culture, work/life balance, pay and office environment. This year’s results are a testament to our continued commitment to providing a workplace where our people can thrive both professionally and personally.

The full rankings can be viewed here. In the coming weeks, RollOnFriday will release further insights into each category.