IRISH MACLEOD - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- CONSULTANT
- the Sports Consultancy As Director of Legal
David Becker is an international lawyer specialising in the sports and entertainment industry.
David began his career at Sonnenbergs (now Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs) in 1995 before moving to London to take up a position with leading international law firm Freshfields. Thereafter, he joined specialist sports law firm Collyer Bristow, where he headed up the Sports Group. During that time David was listed by Legal 500 and Chambers as a leading lawyer in the sports sector several years running. In 2007, David was recruited as senior counsel for the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dubai. He was promoted shortly thereafter to Head of Legal and Senior Executive of the ICC. In 2011, he completed the General Management Programme at Harvard Business School in Boston.
David joined The Sports Consultancy as Director of Legal in 2012. An international professional services firm, The Sports Consultancy offers specialist legal and business consulting services to a number of rights holders, including Volvo Ocean Race, FEI, IRB Sevens and Women's Tennis Association.
David has advised a number of high profile clients in the sports and entertainment industry during his career, including International Cricket Council, NIKE, Vodafone, the International Rugby Board, Paralympic World Cup, Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, MOBO Music Awards and DSTV, as well as a host of leading athletes such as four-time Olympic gold medalist Sir Ben Ainslie, several leading international golfers, South African sports icons Lucas Radebe, Francois Pienaar, Graeme Smith an Elana Meyer, and former FEI President HRH Princess Haya of Jordan. David has written chapters in the first edition of "Sport: Law and Practice" by Taylor and Lewis and in 2007 published the first book dedicated to the legal aspects of event management, entitled "The Essential Legal Guide to Events".
He has appeared on BBC News 24, BBC World, Radio Five Live, BBC Prime Time News and Cape Talk on regular occasions advising on a range of matters in the sports and entertainment sectors.
Outside the office David is a competitive sportsman and endurance athlete. He is a co-founder of the South African Aids charity Starfish, an advisor to the Sports Industry Group and a trustee of Beyond Sport.
After completing a B.Comm and LLB degree from the University of Cape Town, Farren was admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa. Farren began her career at one of South Africa's first all-female law firm, where she practiced as a senior associate, specialising as a commercial and litigation attorney.
Farren joined Irish MacLeod Inc as a director and has brought her commercial and litigation experience to the firm, broadening its areas of speciality.
As a director at Irish MacLeod, Farren works extensively in the entertainment industry with both local and foreign clients, on film and television projects and various other areas of entertainment law. Farren assists on all aspects of production, from chain of title agreements, to finance and structuring deals, to on the ground production agreements. Farren's extensive experience as a commercial and litigation attorney furthermore provides all round support and assistance to a production, from start to finish.
Farren is an experienced corporate and commercial attorney, advising clients on commercial arrangements and structures and drafting a wide range of commercial agreements, including: memorandum of incorporation, shareholders agreements, purchase and sale of shares, purchase and sale of business, option agreements, loan finance and security agreements, service agreements, employment agreements, property agreements and many more.
Farren is furthermore an experienced litigator and dispute resolution attorney, which experience extends from arbitration proceedings to court litigation across the Supreme Court of Appeal, High Courts and Magistrates Courts. Farren has dealt with many high-profile commercial disputes across various industries, including: finance, property development, engineering and renewable energy and commodity trading.
Farren has been the production attorney and provided assistance on multiple foreign and local films and TV series including Tomb Raider 2, Action Park, Red Sea Diving Resort, Sew the Winter to My Skin, Sulphur and White, Kissing Booth 1,2 and 3, Bulletproof and Last Days of American Crime.
Richard Moxon is one of the UK's leading entertainment lawyers. Richard and Guy have worked together on numerous film and television projects. When Richard expressed an interest to leave his old firm and spend more time in Cape Town, he did not hesitate to take up a consultancy position with Irish MacLeod to assist UK film and television clients working in South Africa. Richard brings many years of experience as well as relationships that reach globally. He is a huge asset to the firm.
Richard is currently the proprietor of Moxon Media Consultants based in London but prior to that was a partner in Marriott Harrison before joining Davenport Lyons in 1999 where he worked as a partner until September 2013. His experience includes acting for international independent production companies, financiers, sales agents, distributors, talent, and advising film and television producers.
Richard is a former member of the PACT Council and a member of BAFTA. He is a director of the Indie Training Fund and one of the founder members of Media Dispute Resolution, a dispute resolution forum for the media industry.