Specialist media and entertainment law firm Harbottle & Lewis LLP is delighted to announce the appointment of three new partners with effect from 1 August 2005. The new partners, all specialists in their fields, are: Sebastian Belcher, games and interactive media; Sandi Kurkdjian, litigation and fashion; and Dalton Odendaal, sport and sponsorship.
Sebastian Belcher is recognised as a specialist in the field of computer games and covers the full range of commercial and corporate work for clients ranging from quoted publishers and financial organisations to small developers and key individuals in the industry. His work also involves mobile content and other new media matters. He is also involved in the setting up of corporate and contractual joint ventures, start up and financing and mergers and acquisition work within these fields.
Seb’s clients include Take 2 Interactive (makers of Grand Theft Auto), SCI Entertainment (makers of Conflict Desert Storm) and Midway Games (makers of Mortal Kombat) amongst others.
He graduated from Cambridge with an MA and qualified in 1995. He joined Harbottle & Lewis in 1996 from Slaughter & May.
Sandi is a Partner in the Litigation Group and head of the Fashion Group. She advises in relation to a wide range of disputes in all areas of the media industry, in particular the fashion, music and video-games industries. Areas of particular speciality are copyright and contractual disputes.
Some of her cases have included successfully acting for a well-known designer in relation to an unregistered design right infringement, advising a designer on an alleged trademark infringement, acting for the makers of a feature film in securing an injunction in the High Court against a broadcaster and securing an injunction on behalf of a video game distributor to prevent its licensor breaching its distribution agreement.
Sandi graduated from Manchester with an LLB and obtained a First from Guildford Law School. She qualified in 1996, joining Harbottle & Lewis in 1998 from Cameron McKenna. Sandi is a member of the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers and has written many articles for journals such as In-House Lawyer and Fashion Business International.
Dalton Odendaal is a member of the Sports and Sponsorship Group. He will be heading up the sponsorship side of the group. He advises both sponsors and rightsholders in the sport, music, arts and entertainment sector on all aspects of sponsorship.
Dalton recently acted for Samsung (in conjunction with Bob Mitchell, the head of the Sports Group) on its record-breaking shirt sponsorship deal with Chelsea FC and advised O2 on its sponsorship of the England rugby team. Further he advised O2 on its sponsorship of the Wireless Festival and Earth From the Air on the sponsorship arrangements relating to its exhibition of aerial photographs at More London.
Dalton gained a LLM from Cambridge and a BCL from Oxford. He also obtained the specialist Post-Graduate Certificate in Sports Law (with distinction) from Kings College London. He qualified in 1997 and joined Harbottle & Lewis in 2000.
Managing Partner Lawrence Abramson commented ‘In order to sustain our position as the leading media firm, it is important that our lawyers are not only technically excellent but also have a real understanding of the specialist business they are working in. Sandi, Seb and Dalton between them bring exceptional specialist expertise in the fashion, games and interactive media and sports sectors which are central to our growing practice and we are delighted to welcome them as partners.’
Other appointments include two new senior associates with effect from 1 August 2005: Lucy Adler, IP and Alison Wilds, Aviation.
For further information, please contact Deborah Kay on 0207 667 5000 or e-mail deborah.kay@harbottle.com
Note for Editors
Harbottle & Lewis LLP provides specialist advice to the media and entertainment industries and is consistently recognised as a leading firm in these areas by independent sources.
The firm’s work encompasses all areas of the media and entertainment industries including film, television, broadcasting, sport and sponsorship, music, publishing, fashion, advertising and theatre. The continuing development of new technologies in both media and entertainment has led to the creation and growth of complementary practices in areas such as new media, interactive entertainment and mobile telephony which have become highly successful.
Harbottle & Lewis continues to provide a complete range of commercial legal advice to its clients on corporate, technology, litigation, insolvency, intellectual property, regulatory, defamation, property, employment and immigration, finance and tax issues. The firm’s expertise in other areas such as aviation and charities is also widely recognised.
Whilst the firm and its key practice areas continue to develop and expand, the original values – to provide efficient and commercial legal advice in order to achieve solutions for clients, encourage originality and enjoy what it does – remain central to the firm’s objectives.
Further information about the firm can be found at http://www.harbottle.com/
Issued by: Paul Gower, Marketing Co-ordinator
E-mail: paul.gower@harbottle.com