Culture & Creative

Get common-sense advice from a team that lives and breathes the arts, entertainment and cultural sectors.

The cultural sector is full of questions. Where will your next idea come from? Where will you find funding? How will you balance creative integrity with the need to make money? We get it.

We’re not just lawyers. We’re life-long lovers of culture and the arts. We’re trustees for countless charities (and sometimes we try our own hand at being creative). We’ve seen first-hand the pressures that come with a life in the arts.

Our work reflects the diversity of the sector. We’ve helped everyone, from well-established cultural institutions, historic organisations and award-winning directors and actors to freelancers, agencies, and start-ups.

How we help

Whether you’re a gallery, museum, theatre, music venue or literary prize, we’ll work behind the scenes to handle the ins and outs of any legal quandaries. We’ll help you manage sponsorship deals and navigate regulations.

We’ll also write commercial contracts, protect your rights, raise funds and help you forge relationships with the public and private sector. So, you can get back to the business of being creative.

Explore

Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 19 May

Our weekly roundup of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission Updated CC28 Guidance The Charity Commission says it has updated its guidance Sales, leases, transfers or mortgages: what trustees need to know about disposing …
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UK creative visas: New challenges for the festival season

As festival season nears, ongoing concerns persist about immigration rules for visiting artists – the UK’s status as a festival hub relies on attracting leading creative talent. Broader visa challenges facing creatives planning to perform or work in the UK this summer were highlighted when Kanye West, known legally as Ye, was refused an Electronic …
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Chetal Patel and Smruti Jeyanandhan contribute to call for evidence on how the UK’s immigration system could best be used to attract global talent

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) is currently reviewing how the UK’s immigration system could best be used to attract global talent. Their consultation included a call for evidence which our Immigration Partners submitted last week, Chetal Patel commenting on the Global Talent visa route and Smruti Jeyanandhan providing commentary on the Innovator Founder route. On …
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DCMS commits to review exclusion of national statutory museums and galleries from “ex gratia” regime

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has now confirmed that it will review its decision to exclude sixteen statutory national museums and galleries from the commencement of the “ex gratia” powers in the Charities Act 2022 – and that it will do so by February 2027. The move comes against the backdrop of …
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The Pathway to a UK Global Talent Visa for Award-Winning and Nominated Creatives

How Industry Recognition Opens Doors for Film, TV, and Animation Professionals The start of the year brings a flurry of prestigious events in the film and television industry: hot on the heels of the Golden Globes, the race for predictions is now in full swing and we’re seeing a huge amount of attention on international …
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“The team are always on hand and have serious breadth and depth of knowledge.”

Theatre, Chambers 2024

“The highly experienced team provides consistently high-quality and wise advice.”

Theatre, Chambers 2024

“Bates Wells are very adept at providing clear, concise, tailored advice which benefits from an exceptional understanding of the advertising industry.”

Theatre, Chambers 2024

“There is excellent partner interaction and appropriate delegation to very knowledgeable team members who interact exceedingly well with clients.”

Theatre, Chambers 2024

‘Exceptional team that is highly dynamic and forward thinking.’

Theatre, Legal 500 2024
Meet our team