Media and Entertainment Lawyers Manchester

Creative work only earns money when the rights behind it are clear. As media and entertainment lawyers based in Manchester, we advise production companies, agencies, studios and individual creators across the UK on the contracts and intellectual property behind their work. Our solicitors draft and negotiate talent, production, licensing and influencer agreements, and help you confirm who owns what before a project launches, a deal is signed, or a dispute starts.

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Where Media and Creative Deals Go Wrong

Most problems in the creative industries come from paperwork that was never written or written too loosely. A freelancer delivers the edit but still owns the copyright. A brand pays for a campaign, but the influencer contract says nothing about using the content once it ends. A producer options a book, then the option lapses before finance is in place.

Our solicitors work through the rights on each project, from who created the material to who can use it, where, and for how long. The industry calls this the chain of title. Whether you work from MediaCityUK, a Manchester studio or remotely, the aim is contracts that match how the deal works, and rights you can prove you hold when a distributor or investor asks.

How Our Solicitors Support Media and Entertainment Businesses

Our solicitors advise across the life of a creative project, from development to distribution.

Talent, Production and Distribution Contracts

Talent and management agreements, production and commissioning contracts, licensing and distribution deals, and sponsorship or endorsement terms, drafted or reviewed so fees, credits, deliverables and rights are clear on both sides.

Copyright, IP and Brand Protection

Advice on who owns the content you create or commission, IP assignments and licences, trademarks for show titles, brands and artist names, and protecting your work from unlicensed use.

Confidentiality and NDAs

Non-disclosure agreements for pitching formats, scripts, game concepts and campaign ideas, so what you share with a broadcaster, publisher or investor stays protected.

Employment Contracts for Clinicians

Healthcare employment lawyer advice covers contracts, restrictive covenants, notice periods and policies for clinicians, practice managers and support staff. We also advise on TUPE when a practice or care business changes hands.

Guarantee and Security Advice

Whether a locum or associate is an employee, a worker or self-employed decides their rights and your obligations. We advise on status and draft engagement terms that reflect how the person works.

Negotiation and Settlement Terms

The right structure affects liability, tax and how partners join or leave. We advise on company formation, partnership and shareholder agreements and how a buyout is priced, so ownership questions are settled early.

Co-Productions and Joint Ventures

Structuring co-production and joint venture arrangements, including how funding, control, revenue and rights are split, and what happens if one party wants out.

Employment and Freelancer Contracts

Contracts for crew, freelancers and in-house creative teams with clear IP clauses, plus advice on employment status and day-to-day HR issues.

Disputes Before They Escalate

Pre-litigation advice on unpaid fees and royalties, breached talent or production contracts and ownership disagreements, aiming to resolve matters through negotiation before court becomes necessary.

Wills for Creatives

Will planning for creators whose estate includes copyright, royalty income and brand value, so rights pass on in a way that keeps the work earning.

Contact Us for Media & Entertainment Legal Support

A delayed contract, an unreviewed licence or a rights query left unanswered can hold up a whole production. We work directly with you to deal with the legal side quickly, so you can get back to creating.

Get in touch today for a consultation and let us help you protect your projects and your business.

Meet the Founder

Marium leads MAR Legal’s Media & Entertainment work, advising creative businesses, production companies and media professionals on commercial contracts, intellectual property and licensing, employment and advertising and broadcast compliance. A practising solicitor regulated by the SRA (ID: 277854) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators MCIArb, she has 22 years of experience across the UK and internationally. She founded MAR Legal to give creative businesses direct access to senior legal advice, without the overhead of a traditional firm.

Marium Razzaq
Solicitor & Director Mar Legal
MCIArb

Why Creative Businesses Choose MAR Legal

Solicitor Led

Your matter is handled by our solicitors from the first call to the final document.

Practical, Commercial Advice

Speak to our solicitors about your matter with no obligation to proceed. We respond within one business day.

Fixed Fee Pricing

Clear, agreed fees for contract reviews and drafting, set out before any work starts.

Commercial Focus

Based in Manchester, advising creative businesses and individual creators across the UK.

Trusted by businesses across the UK for clear, practical advice on contracts and intellectual property.

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How Our Process Works

Initial Consultation

Tell us about the project, deal or problem, and we confirm whether we can help.

Review

We read the contracts, rights documents or draft terms and identify the gaps and risks.

Advice and drafting

We advise on your position, then draft, amend or negotiate the documents with the other side.

Sign-off and support

We finalise the paperwork and stay on hand as the project moves forward.

What Our Clients Say

    
 
 
         
   KOTA 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. They handled it wonderfully.
  
 
        
   George Alexopoulos 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Umar Razzaq at MAR Legal is sharp, honest and responsive, and excellent on the detail. Great outcome. Highly recommended.
  
 
        
   Olamide Aribigbela 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Really happy with the service from MAR Legal. They were very professional, helpful and efficient throughout the whole process. They handled all my documents quickly and carefully, and made everything simple and stress-free.

Would definitely recommend MAR Legal to anyone looking for a reliable and professional solicitor!
  
 
        
   Mrs Whitbread 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great service. Very responsive and great at explaining everything I needed. Thanks
  
 
        
   Rachel Marsden 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional and clear advice. Easy to understand and handled with appropriate sensitivity and confidentiality.
  
 
        
   Gillian Fletcher 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Excellent Service, quick and efficient and clear communications throughout. Thank you.
  
 
        
   Faye McCarthy 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I used MAR Legal for a commercial lease on a property in Stockport. Had my initial consultation at their Spinningfields office, where I dealt directly with Marium, one of the directors. She walked me through the lease terms and the timeline upfront, so I knew what to expect at each stage. Would use them again for commercial property work in the Manchester area.
  
 
        
   Chris Johnson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. MAR legal helped with ILA which my mortgage lender required. They acted very quickly and at a good price. Great service.
  
 
        
   Arsa Syed 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional and helpful. I would definitely recommend using them and will be back if I need any legal work done!!
  
 
        
   Amir Abbou 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. They provided professional, sharp, and responsive counsel.  their contractual analysis was strong, and their advice was genuinely practical and commercially minded.
  
 
  
  
 
 
      Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified that these reviews were published on MAR Legal Limited's Google Business Profile. Learn more

Media and Entertainment Law FAQs

Unless there is a written assignment signed by the freelancer, they do. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 makes the author the first owner of copyright, and the main exception is work created by an employee in the course of their job. Paying for the work usually gives you only an implied licence, which may not cover editing, resale or new formats. A short assignment clause in the freelancer contract fixes this, ideally agreed before the work is delivered.

Working without one is where most brand partnership disputes start. The contract should cover deliverables and deadlines, approval rights, advertising disclosure, exclusivity with competing brands, payment terms and, above all, how long the brand can keep using the content after the campaign. The most common gap in influencer deals is usage rights that were never agreed at all.

The core terms are the scope of services, the term and any renewal, commission or fee rates and the income they apply to, expenses, exclusivity, key person clauses and how either side can end the arrangement. Post-term commission is a frequent source of disagreement, where a manager keeps earning from deals made during the term after the relationship ends. Clear drafting on that point, and on who owns anything created, avoids most disputes later.

Yes. A pre-signing review is one of the most common requests media solicitors receive, and it is the right moment to raise concerns. The review looks at what rights you are granting, for how long and in which territories, how royalties or revenue shares are calculated and paid, audit rights, recoupment of any advance, and what happens to your rights if the other party stops exploiting the work. You get a plain explanation of each risk and suggested amendments to take back to the other side.

An option agreement gives a producer the exclusive right, for a fixed period, to acquire the rights to an existing work such as a book, script, podcast or life story, usually for adaptation. The producer pays an option fee to hold the rights while raising development finance, and a larger purchase price if they exercise the option. The key terms are the option period and any extensions, the purchase price, which rights are included, credit, and whether the rights revert if the project stalls.

We advise at the pre-litigation stage, which is where most creative disputes are resolved. That covers unpaid fees or royalties, breaches of talent, production or licensing contracts, and disagreements over who owns or can use content. The focus is on setting out your position clearly and negotiating a resolution before anyone issues proceedings. Court proceedings, including defamation claims and injunctions, sit outside our scope, and where a matter reaches that point, we work alongside appropriately regulated professionals.

Both. Many media and entertainment lawyers act mainly for production companies and brands, but individual creators face the same contracts from the other side of the table, often with less bargaining power. Creators should also think about trademark protection and will planning, since copyright in most creative works lasts for 70 years after the author’s death and passes to whoever inherits it.

Media and Entertainment Lawyers Manchester

Where Media and Creative Deals Go Wrong

How Our Solicitors Support Media and Entertainment Businesses