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Ed advises founders, businesses and investors on a broad range of corporate, corporate finance and commercial matters.

He has a particular interest and 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, private equity, public takeovers, joint ventures, management incentive arrangements, including EMI options and growth shares, 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, the National Film & Television School and UKIE.

Ed trained and qualified at Linklaters, where he spent five and a half years in the private equity M&A team acting for a variety of private equity houses and businesses on leveraged and non-leveraged buy-outs, growth equity investments, exits, management incentive arrangements and bolt-on acquisitions.

Ed is ranked as a next generation partner in The Legal 500 UK guide, and is noted for his “sector expertise”, “encyclopaedic memory” and his willingness to “go the extra mile to get the best deal.”

Recent experience

  • Advised the selling shareholders of luxury menswear brand Drake’s on its sale to venture firm Heartland
  • Advised the shareholders of After Party Studios, a digital-first creative production company, on the sale of a majority stake to SISTER Group
  • Advised rock band Queen on the landmark sale of its entire music catalogue and related assets, including publishing and image rights, to Sony Music
  • Advised Super Media Group on its acquisition of games studio Bulkhead from Tencent and its strategic partnership with Everplay Group plc
  • Advised David Beckham on his sale to, and strategic partnership with, Authentic Brands Group (ABG), the owner of a portfolio of global media, entertainment and lifestyle brands
  • Advised the management of games studio The Chinese Room on their buyout from Sumo Group

TESTIMONIALS

What people say

They work extremely hard. Their sector expertise is second to none. Ed Lane and Colin Howes have both got encyclopaedic memories and experience.’

The Legal 500

Mark Phillips and Ed Lane have both been a delight to work with, and always go the extra mile to get the best deal possible for us.’

The Legal 500

Tim Parker and Ed Lane show excellent attention to detail in agreeing corporate transaction terms, and we felt very much as though the team were working in our interests. They displayed appropriate levels of technical knowledge, especially with regard to issues such as drag rights.”

The Legal 500