Two former senior Mishcon de Reya lawyers have left the firm to launch a new London-based boutique targeting sports, technology and commercial work.
Simon Leaf, Mishcon’s former head of sport and co-lead of technology transactions, and Tom Murray have launched Three Points Law as a “tech-enabled” alternative to traditional law firms. It will integrate legal AI platform Legora and partner with Excello Law’s House of Brands platform for operational support, which the firm said enabled it to “move beyond the hourly rate model for a more value-driven legal offering for clients”.
Leaf is a well-regarded sports lawyer who acted on numerous high-profile sports mandates during his eight years as a partner at Mishcon, before which he practised at Berwin Leighton Paisner.
Recently, he and Murray, who was a legal director at his former firm, advised Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford on his move to Aston Villa and FC Barcelona. On the tech side, last year they acted for Hewlett Packard on a £225m deal opposite the University of Bristol to build the UK’s most powerful supercomputer.
“We’re building a firm that is fit for the future and one that will focus on three of the fastest-moving areas of business and law: tech, sports and commercial,” Leaf said. “While we’ve historically been recognised for our sports work, we’ve developed a track record for advising on some ground-breaking tech and commercial law matters, which also evidences the increasing convergence of these three focus areas.”
Three Points said it had launched with more than a dozen founder clients, including technology suppliers and media and real estate businesses, through to high-profile athletes, football clubs and entrepreneurs.
The firm will also partner with Dubai-based legal tech firm Qanooni, which provides AI-powered draft, review, matter summaries and legal research.
Murray said Three Points’ technological foundation “enhances rather than replaces the human element of our profession” and had already helped it secure mandates from tech and creative businesses.
“As a new firm born in the AI era and unencumbered by legacy systems, we can deliver work faster, be more efficient and collaborate effectively in line with our clients’ needs,” Murray added.
Three Points will also commit at least 5% of its annual billing time or profits each year to charitable and community initiatives. Bloomsbury Football Foundation, where Leaf and Murray have provided pro bono support for a number of years, has been made a founding charity partner of the firm.
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