Our service:

Those involved with ‘cultural property’ like working with our team because: 

• we understand that many NFP organisations do not have large legal teams able to interpret advice from lawyers - cultural institutions need lawyers who give clear advice, in language their teams can understand
• we know that budgets are tight and time even more so. Our clients generally want support at short notice and quick answers
• we understand charities: many owners of cultural property have charitable status. We are used to dealing with the Charity Commission, the boards of trustees of charities and relations with their members. We have been involved in the formation of, winding up of, merger of and restructuring of a number of charities
• the personnel involved in this sector are passionate about cultural property and the arts
  

Recent experience advising:

• charities in receiving gifts from individuals and individual artists who have bequeathed property to charities. We have also acted for the charities in defending claims for negligence, breach of contract, defamation, discrimination and infringement of intellectual property rights
• an impressive number of arts related trade organisations. Clients include: Heritage Trust,  Jewish Museum, Twenty-Four Hour Museum,  De la Warr Pavilion and the Saatchi Gallery
• Science Photo Library Claim against the European Commission for unauthorised photograph of Watson and Crick (famous scientists) which had been modified to show them naked thus amounting to defamation and breach of the photographer’s moral rights and infringement of copyright. Negotiating and obtaining apology, withdrawal of images and damages
• The V&A in relation to copyright of items in its collection
• The Jewish Museum on a policy document for the Jewish Museum on dealing with third party and museum intellectual property