Copyright has always been the bread and butter of Harbottle & Lewis, and this year it rises to the first tier. Known for its media and entertainment practice, it has been prominent in several of the year's most important copyright cases. For example, IP team leader Mark Owen has been advising Lucasfilm in its Star Wars battle against Ainsworth, the first IP case to reach the new Supreme Court. In another, the firm represented Joltid in a case over Skype with eBay. The firm has been steadily developing leading practices in brands, digital and technology rights, copyright and design law. This year it hired trade mark attorney Rebecca Davis from Barker Brettell to fortify its new filing practice, and snapped up film partner and copyright specialist Peter Armstrong from Reed Smith.