I am Joint Managing Partner for the firm and alongside my leadership role, I advise my clients on their advertising and marketing campaigns and exploitation of intellectual property rights and content.
My clients include brand owners, content creators, communications agencies and media platforms. I am recognised as a leading lawyer in the field of advertising and brand reputation in legal directories such as Chambers and Legal 500.
Outside of work, I live in St Albans and spend most of my time being a chauffeur to my twin sons and generally running around after them.
Brands & IP
I advise clients on exploiting and protecting their intellectual property rights in commercial contracts. This includes giving regulatory advice on adverts and social media campaigns, as well as drafting and negotiating agreements to exploit content and promote brands, including: client/agency agreements, talent agreements, IP licenses, merchandising agreements and sponsorship agreements. I am experienced in advising on regulatory compliance with the Advertising Standards Authority and other applicable laws relating to advertising and marketing. I am a speaker at the Informa IP law summer school at Cambridge University.
Advertising & Marketing
I have been advising marketing agencies and brand owners on the regulation of their marketing communications campaigns (including copy clearance and international advice through our affiliation with the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance) since the late 90’s. As the marketing mix has changed, so has my practice, and most of my day these days has a social media angle to it, such as advising on how to make it clear when a celebrity has been paid to tweet some branded content on Twitter. I work closely with many of the key industry bodies in the advertising and marketing sector, including ISBA, the BCMA , the IPM, the IPA and PRCA, and I sit on the steering committee for the Influencer chapter of the BCMA. We have helped draft many of the advertising industry’s standard template contracts such as the ISBA/IPA template contract for the appointment of a communications agency by clients (last updated in 2015), as well as ISBA’s suggested terms for use when brands appoint vloggers (launched in 2016).
Media & Entertainment
Through acting for a number of agencies and brands, I have been involved with negotiating and drafting a number of high profile sponsorship and endorsement contracts, both for brands as well as for individual talent. I led the team advising ISBA, the UK’s trade body representing advertisers, who drafted an “industry first” ISBA template contract, which is used by their members when appointing vloggers or influencers.
Awards and Recognition
- Chambers 2024 (Media & Entertainment: Advertising & Marketing (UK-wide)) - "If you need assistance with a media buying agreement, Jo is the first lawyer you should call. She'll solve the problem in the agreement you foresaw plus all the others you didn't."
- Legal 500 2024 (Media – Advertising & Marketing) - ‘Jo Farmer is superb, responsive, and smart. Terrific negotiator. Knows when to dig in, knows when to yield.’
- Chambers 2023 (Media & Entertainment: Advertising & Marketing – UK–wide) "Jo Farmer is very good and bright, she really knows her stuff."
- Chambers 2022 (Media & Entertainment) - 'Jo Farmer is full of energy and has a broad range of talents for the modern legal market'
- Chambers 2022 (Media & Entertainment) - 'She keeps her finger on the pulse'
- Legal 500 2022 (Media and entertainment (including media finance)) - ‘Another partner that is outstanding is Jo Farmer. She is a leading lawyer with expertise in marketing and intellectual property law. She has advised our organisation a number of times on complex matters and her advice has always been highly valued’
- Legal 500 2022 (Commercial contracts) - ‘Jo Farmer is simply a rock star lawyer when it comes to advising on commercial contracts, particularly ones with an advertising focus – responsive, practical, takes time to understand the business. The first lawyer anyone should call when they have a media buying agreement to tackle. Love working with her'
- Listed in Best Lawyers 2020 edition
- Chambers 2019 Ranked - Media & Entertainment: Advertising & Marketing - UK-wide
- Chambers 2019 - "She knows advertising inside out. Many solicitors can do contractual protections work, but she truly understands the industry and what the parties are up to."