News | By practice area

Tuesday 27th November 2001

Rising cinema audiences on the back of current box office smashes such as Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone are filling cinemas and increasing the commercial value of the cinema medium to advertisers. Recognising the value of this asset, cinema owner UGC Cinemas Limited ("UGC") recently announced its multi-million pound cinema advertising arrangements with Pearl & Dean Cinemas Limited ("Pearl & Dean") in which lawyers from SJ Berwin's London-based Commerce & Technology group advised long-standing client UGC.

UGC, which is part of one of the leading pan-European cinema groups, operates 43 prestige cinema sites across the UK and Ireland, attracting audiences of over 20 million a year. The arrangements will give Pearl & Dean (part of the SMG Plc group of media businesses) a 43% share of the UK cinema advertising market.

UGC was advised by a team of lawyers from SJ Berwin, led by Jonathan Adelman of the London office's Commerce & Technology Group and assisted by Prudence Thiry and Annabel Solomon of the firm's rapidly expanding Paris office. Pearl & Dean were advised by in-house counsel, Sophie Gould.

• SJ Berwin's Stephen Kon and Lesley Farrell have traditionally advised UGC on competition law issues.
• SJ Berwin has recently won the European Venture Capital Journal Award for Private Equity Law Firm of the Year 2000, Law Firm of the Year and Property Team of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2000, and Competition Team of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2000.
• SJ Berwin's Commerce & Technology Group comprises a core team of specialist lawyers advising on the full range of commercial disciplines, including media, e-commerce, intellectual property, IT, sales, distribution and manufacturing, data protection, consumer legislation, marketing and advertising, sponsorship and general contract law issues.
• SJ Berwin's Paris office has recently broadened the practice by welcoming two new Corporate partners, Laurence Pinot-Lacan and Pierre-Louis PŽrin, and senior assistant, Jan Heijmeijer, along with other assistant solicitors. The arrival of these lawyers will strengthen SJ Berwin as a major force in corporate finance legal advice in France, bringing the total to six partners and 19 assistant solicitors.
• Founded in 1982 in London, SJ Berwin is a leading European law firm with offices in Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Madrid, Munich and Paris.
• Awards won by SJ Berwin include: 'Private Equity Law Firm of the Year' - European Venture Capital Journal 2001, 'Competition Team of the Year' - Legal Business Awards 2001, 'Law Firm of the Year' - The Lawyer Awards 2000, 'Property Team of the Year' - The Lawyer Awards 2000.