Under the leadership of Simon Fitzpatrick at Boodle Hatfield LLP the team regularly advises on high-profile art litigation as well as on private art sales disputes. It is a full service offering that acts for a broad range of artists from well-known and high-net-worth artists, through to up-and-coming street artists. The skilled group is also increasingly acting for galleries, auction houses and museums. The department has particular skill in advising on significant art and luxury asset financing in the UK. Natasha Hassall is another known name for her work on long-term estate and tax planning. Hassall acts for various large landed estates where there is heritage property and substantial art collections. Becky Shaw is also recommended. However, it remains to be seen what impact the recent departures of Tim  Maxwell and Rudy Capildeo to Charles Russell Speechlys LLP will have on the practice.

Farrer & Co’s excellent team acts for wealthy private individuals and family trusts both in the UK and overseas who collect or invest in art. The first-rate team advises collectors, dealers and art advisors, and has an enviable client base of leading museums and galleries. The skilled team is also adept at handling art litigation and advising on complex art lending. Julian Smith is a well-known name for his expertise on charity law issues in the arts and heritage sector. Heads of department are Adrian Parkhouse, who leads on contentious matters relating to art and cultural property, and James Carleton, who advises on a wide range of art and cultural property matters including philanthropy. Mike Chantler is known for his work on the administration and taxation of heritage property and Rhoddy Voremberg is another key figure.

Under the leadership of Karen Sanig at Mishcon de Reya LLP the art law team handles the full array of art-related legal matters. Sanig is regularly involved in some of the biggest art transactions and in the most important litigation in this area. Newly-promoted partner Amanda Gray is also recommended for her work on contentious and non-contentious matters. The team is highly regarded for the breadth of its art-related expertise and frequently advises on the sale and purchase of art, artists’ rights, the creation and management of artists' estates and other issues surrounding authenticity and ownership as well as the restitution of looted cultural property.

Stephenson Harwood acts for the major players in the art world on some of the most high profile transactions and disputes. It acts for leading international auction houses and also advises financial institutions and art associations. It has seen an increase in instructions on all aspects of cybersecurity risk management and has been advising high-net-worth individuals either as collectors, dealers or sellers on this issue. Roland Foord leads the firm’s art and cultural property group and advises clients on both contentious and transactional matters. Foord also has extensive experience in auction law. Stephen Roberts specialises in dispute resolution and risk management and is skilled at advising on issues involving title, provenance and attribution in particular.

Charles Russell Speechlys LLP has been expanding its team with the recent additions of Tim  Maxwell and Rudy Capildeo from Boodle Hatfield LLP. Head of team Suzanne Marriott has considerable experience in advising individuals, landed estates and charitable trusts with sizeable art work as part of their assets. Art litigator Ludovic de Walden is another key member of the team that frequently handles a wide range of both contentious and non-contentious art matters. The practice is also renowned for its experience on complex cross-border issues. Robert Blower is another recommended member of the team who specialises in lifetime tax and estate planning for individuals, their trusts and companies. Blower has carried out a great deal of UK heritage tax work.

Constantine Cannon LLP has a dedicated team of art lawyers that advise a diverse range of clients, from galleries and dealerships, private collectors and family offices, through to auction houses. Other clients include banks lending against art, artists, renowned museums and other public institutions. Head of team Pierre Valentin advises clients on buying and selling artwork, art finance and other issues such as Nazi-era restitution, regulatory matters and art disputes. The team has substantial transatlantic capacity with both UK and US-qualified lawyers. Azmina Jasani is a dual-qualified lawyer who routinely advises on a broad array of contentious and non-contentious matters. Fionnuala Rogers is also recommended.

Howard Kennedy LLP’s expertise covers all aspects of the law relating to art and cultural property, from drafting and negotiating agreements, to litigation and the resolution of disputes. Clients include museums and public collections, galleries and dealers as well as public art organisations, charities/foundations and collectors. It also receives a steady flow of instructions from artists and their estates, photographers, photo libraries and ultra-net-worth individuals. In addition the skilled team is adept at advising on looted art and cultural property as well as all aspects of intellectual property rights. It frequently provides legal opinions to national entities and their trustees on matters as diverse as outraging public decency, to obscenity and indecency. Mark Stephens and Daniel McClean are the names to note.

Hunters Law LLP has a multi-disciplinary team that advises dealers, galleries, collectors and public and private institutions on the sale and acquisition of important artworks and other collectables. It also represents clients on title disputes, questions of misattribution and the authenticity of art as well as other complex claims regarding illegally excavated artefacts and advice in relation to treasure. Head of the team is Hetty Gleave who is the deputy chair of the Treasure Valuation Committee and a director and panel mediator with Art Resolve (the specialist Art Dispute Resolution Service). Gregor Kleinknecht is also a panel mediator and arbitrator with Art Resolve and a qualified arbitrator and member of the Board of Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM).

Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP has considerable experience of working with UK resident non-UK domiciled art collectors in the review and structuring of the ownership of their collections, in accordance with UK tax regimes and in line with succession planning objectives. It acts for a diverse range of clients including artists and their personal representatives as well as national galleries and museums, philanthropists, entrepreneurs and traditionally wealthy families who have extensive collections in their family homes. Ceris Gardner leads the team that includes Clare Maurice and Jennifer Chambers .

Clients of Withers LLP benefit from its network of international offices. It has a long-established reputation in tax and estate planning work particularly for the owners of major art collections and works on a broad mix of contentious art matters, from restitution, to disputes about title, contested provenance and contractual issues. Eleni Polycarpou is a known name for her work on contentious art law. Celia Lloyd-Davidson is a notable practitioner for non-contentious art matters and for her work in the creative sector working closely with commercial galleries, museums and artists. Simon Chadwick is also recommended.

BDB Pitmans is best known for providing tax and structuring advice to the owners of art and cultural property. The experienced team frequently advises trustees and individuals who own assets that are subject to historic conditional exemptions from estate duty and inheritance tax. The group has also been busy advising on all the issues that arise from the sale and purchase of art as well as issues of provenance, artefact recovery in addition to agency agreements, contracts and IP issues. Susan Johnson and Hugo Smith co-head the team.

Browne Jacobson LLP works for some of the UK’s most important cultural institutions and public bodies. It is also recommended for its work with street and urban artists. Alex Watt has extensive experience of dealing with artists on the protection of their intellectual property as well as galleries on their relationship with artists. Other areas of expertise lie in acting for the owners of landed estates and for local authorities on issues affecting listed buildings and conservation area issues. Declan Cushley is also recommended.

Forsters LLP has a wealth of experience in acting for influential individuals and institutions in the UK and international art markets. Clients range from international collectors, auction houses, dealers, museums and charities, to living contemporary artists seeking to establish structures to safeguard their artistic legacies and provide for their family members. Its client base also includes families and their trustees owning old masters and chattels of national importance. Catherine Hill heads the team that also includes Rupert Mead who has a particular interest in the taxation of heritage property (chattels, historic land and buildings).

Lee & Thompson LLP acts for various wealthy clients including art agents and dealers, well-known artists and collectors as well as senior gallery and auction house directors. Other clients include retail entrepreneurs, a range of corporates as well as art technology businesses, art fairs and creative events companies. Head of team Sarah Barker has significant experience in the arts, photography and visual arts sector. The team frequently advises on diverse matters that are relevant to this sector including intellectual property, digital and various regulatory matters.

Payne Hicks Beach has particular expertise in advising on tax, title and bailment issues for private owners of art and heritage land and buildings as well as advising on the planning laws that are applicable to these heritage fixtures. Other areas of expertise lie in the administration of high-value private art collections, issues surrounding public access/conditional exemption issues in addition to the resolution of title disputes. James Bacon heads the team and is vastly experienced in heritage property taxation. Bacon has niche expertise in the use of maintenance fund settlements for land and his clients include the owners of substantial art collections and landed estates. Alastair Murdie has now retired.

Pinsent Masons LLP fields an excellent team that advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals, royal family members, art foundations and cultural institutions, as well as artists and government bodies on all aspects of their collections. The practice is also adept at advising on the loaning of art for discrete and large scale exhibitions and on loan agreements with major international museums. Richard Hart often advises clients on how to structure their collections and on their philanthropic endeavours through cultural foundations.