Mike Brookes

Mike is a partner at Lee & Thompson and head of the firm’s Reputation Protection Group. He is also a key member of the firm’s Dispute Resolution team.

He joined Lee & Thompson in 1998 and has played a major role in creating the firm’s reputation for quality dispute resolution, handling the full range of copyright and contractual disputes for clients within the industries of music, film, television and sport, and ranging from artists and actors to record labels and production companies. Much of his work involves protecting the reputation of some of the firm’s highest profile clients. Various battles with the press have been fought and won for well-known names, such as One Direction and its members, Jude Law, Eddie Redmayne, Frankie Boyle, Paul Hollywood, Christopher Eccleston and Charlotte Church. He has also acted for a number of prominent figures in industry and politics, even royalty.

Recognised for his knowledgeable and personable approach to matters, recent issues of the legal directory Chambers & Partners have described him variously as ‘always there when needed and is good at relationship management‘ and someone who is ‘dynamic and [a] very knowledgeable lawyer’. He’s also been described as ‘shrewd and commercially aware‘, who gives ‘straight-talking, good, honest advice’. With respect to his contentious music work, clients praise him for being “very sensible and [he] has a very good grasp of the law. He represents his clients very well.“.

These attributes have been reflected in a number of high profile claims Mike has successfully brought for clients, and demonstrate the scope of Mike’s practice.

Also fully immersed in the film and television world, Mike has a significant copyright and defamation clearance practice acting for producer clients on major feature films and television productions, including the Oasis documentary “Supersonic“, “The Theory of Everything” and “The Darkest Hour” for Working Title; and “Broadchurch” for Kudos.

The new UK edition of Chambers and Partners ranks Mike as a Band 1 leader in his field.