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European law firm Fieldfisher has hired leading video game lawyer Brian Chadwick, to join as a corporate partner and member of the firm's cross-departmental media and entertainment practice.
Brian joins from Cooley LLP where he was special counsel from March 2016. He acts for a range of clients with a particular focus on convergence media, advertising and digital games companies. Brian was general counsel and director with Miniclip – a global top 10 mobile games developer and publisher. At Miniclip, Brian helped oversee the transition from on-line games web portal in 2009 to world-class mobile games developer and publisher (including the acquisitions of 8 Ball Pool and Agar.io) up to its sale to Tencent in 2015. Prior to Miniclip, Brian was a partner and the head of the London corporate department at Michelmores where he helped establish its London office.
Brian is a dual-qualified lawyer (Pennsylvania in 1998 and England and Wales in 2001). He is a thought-leader in the digital games industry and is a regular speaker at games-focussed legal and business events. Most recently, Brian was a speaker at the PG Connects London conference and moderated the “Investment Trends Power Panel”.
Brian will be working closely with joint head of corporate Andrew Blankfield and head of media and entertainment Tom Guida. He will be harnessing existing expertise across departments in Fieldfisher and developing a new corporate practice segment that focuses on the games industry – whose global worth is set to grow to $128.5 billion by 2020.
Tom Guida, Head of Media and Entertainment, said: "Brian is one of the leading lawyers in the video game industry and I am thrilled to have him join Fieldfisher.
"We've been working for companies at the intersection of creativity, commerce and technology for years, which is exactly where video games companies operate every day; so hiring Brian was a natural fit.
"We will continue to support those types of companies through our top-tier media and entertainment, technology, IP and corporate practices throughout Europe, and are very excited for what the future holds."
Brian Chadwick says of his appointment: "I am excited to join Fieldfisher at a time when its success across Europe is undoubtable. The firm is recognised as a premier technology firm and has a fantastic energy and ambition across its many practice areas and offices in Europe, the US and China."
"Fieldfisher has achieved impressive growth and has an exciting trajectory. I admire the firm's legal expertise and commitment to supporting companies in new technology, collegiate culture and consistent engagement with charity. I think it's an excellent fit for me; I'm looking forward to getting started."
The award-winning Media and Entertainment team at Fieldfisher has a reputation for providing a competitive edge in every deal, with clients ranging from start-up businesses to international household names operating in the media industry; such as the BBC, Channel 4 and Arqiva.
Brian will be joining the firm on 1st February 2018.