Entertainment
For the second year running, the prestigious Who's Who Legal recommends only one entertainment lawyer in the entire Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region (i.e. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) - our very own Joby Beretta. In the Who's Who Legal wider Middle East region, they only recommend 2 other entertainment lawyers - both of whom are based in Israel.
Looking at the other regions, by comparison, in the same entertainment category there are the following number of recommended lawyers:
130 in North America & The Caribbean
78 in Europe
39 in England & Wales
8 in Asia Pacific
6 in Latin America
1 in Africa
The Bench advises on a wide range of entertainment law matters including:
TV Rights Licensing
Music Rights Licensing
Theatrical Rights Licensing
Event Management
Location Filming Permits
Performer Contracts
Media sector M&A
Channel Distribution Agreements
Film Production Agreements
This year The Bench's entertainment deals included advising JK58 on One Humanity Live, a global 24-hour live streamed event and various other entertainment events.
Sport
In the Sport category, Joby was also recommended alongside only 3 other lawyers in the United Arab Emirates (Steve Bainbridge from Al Tamimi, Jamie Ryder from DLA and Wael Jabsheh from Akin Gump) and an additional 5 lawyers across the wider Middle East region.
The Bench's Sports team provides a full range of advice to the sector including:
Sponsorship / Brand Ambassador Agreements
Player Agreements and related employment advice
Event Management
Tournament Set-Ups
Regulatory Body Approvals
Broadcasting / Media Rights Agreements
e-Sports
Corporate Set-Ups and Licensing
The Bench's Sports & Entertainment lawyers are also recognised as specialists in this field by Chambers and Partners Global, which noted that our “expertise includes TMT, hospitality and sports” and Legal 500 2019 which describes us as "client-focused efficient and unstuffy". Media Law International 2020 also notes our "expertise in the media, entertainment and sports industries".
The Bench is also short-listed for 'TMT Team of the Year' at the The Middle East Legal Awards 2020 hosted by Legal Week, the winners of which will be announced next month.
In addition to providing legal advice, The Bench is also uniquely positioned to provide experienced Sports & Entertainment lawyers on a secondment basis and/or recruit such lawyers for you. If we can help on any matters please contact joby@thebenchlaw.com.