Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin is the sole GALA representative in the United Kingdom and is one of the top advertising & marketing law firms in the country, having worked with some of the world’s leading brand owners and advertising agencies for the last 40 years. 

The firm has unrivalled strength in depth within its team which is consistently ranked at the highest level by leading directories Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 2022 with one source commending our ‘depth of expertise in the UK market’ and ‘wealth of insights in the international advertising market’. We have unparalleled experience of all aspects of advertising and marketing work, having a wide variety of both advertiser and advertising agency clients, as well as technology companies, new media and digital agencies. We advise in-house counsel, marketing professionals and senior management on all aspects of traditional and newly emerging marketing techniques, in any media and on any platform.

Advertising & Marketing Law

We deal with advertising and media industry regulatory bodies, such as the Advertising Standards Authority, Clearcast, the Competition and Markets Authority and the Proprietary Association of Great Britain. This includes assisting clients with making or defending complaints and challenging regulatory decisions through their own appeal procedures, or when necessary, through litigation.

We advise on the full range of contractual issues that arise in the advertising industry, including client-agency contracts, influencer agreements, talent agreements and agreements with production companies, as well as the myriad of other contracts involved in the creation of advertising and marketing.

Our advertising and marketing team is regularly called on to advise on the IP and regulatory issues in advertising campaigns, particularly in specialist sectors, such as alcohol, cosmetics and food. We also help clients with contests, prize draws and promotions, drafting suitable terms and conditions for promotions, as well as advising on the specific legal issues arising out of using different platforms and different mechanics to activate promotions, including compliance with Facebook policies, running UGC competitions, and how to minimise risks of vote rigging.

Dispute Resolution

We advise in relation to the full range of disputes arising within the sector.  From top to bottom the team has a deep familiarity with the types of claim that arise and our practitioners, at all levels, are used to handling contractual issues in a variety of settings.  This includes issues over service levels and performance, issues with talent, disputes with clients and sub-contractors, fee recovery, mitigating risk from failed campaigns and events, and termination issues.  Our intellectual property specialists are frequently instructed in relation to claims of campaign plagiarism, claims by talent relating to infringement of publicity rights, issues with competitors over comparative advertising, and trade mark issues.  The team has acted successfully on many of the leading commercial and intellectual property disputes affecting the advertising sector in recent years.

Corporate

Our corporate lawyers have been involved in many, and some of the highest profile, corporate transactions in the advertising and marketing services sector.  We have a leading reputation for advising both major international networks on their UK acquisitions, and owners and senior management on the set up, development, growth and sometimes sale of their agency business. 

Our M&A lawyers are steeped in the sector and as they regularly advise both buyers and sellers – know what it takes to negotiate on both sides of the table.  Our M&A teams comprise expert IP/IT, technology, tax, real estate and employment lawyers so that we can take full responsibility for all of the legal work required on a transaction.

Data and Privacy

We have a fast-expanding data and privacy team with an excellent and growing reputation. The team comprises experts in general data protection compliance issues, as well as experts in marketing and employment related data protection compliance advice. Our team members also advise clients on data privacy in the context of reputation management and data subjects’ claims in a consumer, business and workplace context. Our team has supported clients on a number of high-profile regulatory investigations not just in UK, but across Europe including Italy and France. 

We act for a range of clients from a diverse range of sectors although the team has a particular expertise in the advertising and marketing and media sectors and acts for a range of brands, agencies, adtech vendors and publishers on various data protection.

Trademarks 

Our Intellectual Property practice is one of the UK’s best, ranked Tier 1 by Legal 500 UK, 2020 for Brand Management. Unlike many law firms, Lewis Silkin has a ‘one-stop-shop’ approach, with our own in-house trade mark and patent attorneys alongside our specialist contentious and commercial IP lawyers, delivered to you by our friendly, commercial and solutions-focussed IP professionals. We believe this is a radical new and cost effective way which is without parallel in the market. 

We act for all brand owner businesses brands, names and designs that require protection in a wide range of sectors. We also act for creative agencies, regularly advising on trade mark, design and domain name registration, disputes, transactional advice and portfolio management. We have an inhouse AdSlogans service, which is a specialist global marketing slogan search and resource provider offering a one-stop-shop for brand owners and agencies seeking to mitigate the risk of legal challenge to new brands and marketing initiatives.

Recent Events

Sep 8, 2020

Advertising & Marketing Law: Legal Knowledge for the Digital Age - September 8, 2020 

Nov 7, 2018

GALA members to speak at the 2018 ANA / BAA Marketing Law Conference

Jun 7, 2018

Advertising & Marketing Law: Legal Knowledge for the Digital Age - London, UK - June 7, 2018

Dec 7, 2017

Global Advertising Law Year in Review Webinar

Nov 13, 2017

GALA members to speak at the 2017 ANA / BAA Marketing Law Conference