Harbottle & Lewis

Harbottle & Lewis advises businesses, entrepreneurs and high-profile individuals and families, with roots in media and entertainment. Laurence Harbottle and Brian Lewis founded the firm in Soho on 20 December 1955 to specialize in film and theater work. It now practices from 7 Savoy Court in London across corporate, commercial, litigation, employment, family, tax and intellectual property law. Its sector teams cover technology, music, film and TV, publishing, art, sport, interactive entertainment, fashion and retail, and hospitality and leisure, so the same firm can act for a company and for the founders and families behind it.

Two managing partners and a senior partner

The firm is run by co-managing partners Tony Littner and Charlie Leveque. Littner also co-leads the venture capital and emerging companies practice, and Leveque heads the corporate practice. Catherine Bedford became senior partner on 1 April 2024, succeeding Gerrard Tyrrell, who held the role for nearly 17 years. She joined in 2017 to lead the family team and is the firm’s first female senior partner. The firm lists 47 partners, 95 associates and 14 trainees.

A decade of rising income

Turnover rose 27% from £42.2m to £53.6m in the year to 31 March 2025, according to the LLP’s accounts at Companies House. Domestic revenue grew from £29.6m to £43.4m, and profit before members’ remuneration rose from £21.8m to £27.5m. The firm employed an average of 176 staff, excluding members: 107 in fee generation and 69 in business services.

The firm reported record income of £58.3m for the year to 31 March 2026, up 8.3% on the year before. Revenue has risen by more than 130% since 2015–16, when it was £25.2m, according to the firm. “Key to this has been embedding a culture across the firm of active listening and service delivery shaped by our clients’ priorities,” Littner said when the results were published in April 2026.

Its business services team was shortlisted for Business Services Team of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2026.