Harbottle & Lewis' Andy Millmore tells Sofia Lind how his passion for collecting old movie posters turned into a business venture

By any measure, a collection of several thousand film posters is a large one, not least when it is a private collection. So contentious intellectual property (IP) specialist lawyer Andy Millmore's decision to turn his passion of collecting movie memorabilia into a business venture was in many ways a logical one.

Millmore, who heads Harbottle & Lewis' litigation practice, is now co-owner of what has been described as London's foremost film poster gallery, Limelight Movie Art on King's Road in Chelsea.

Millmore took the decision to make a business out of his interest in collectable film posters when he was in between firms. After leaving Macfarlanes, where he was head of the contentious IP practice, in 2000, he ran his own boutique firm specialising in dispute resolution strategy. He became a consultant with Harbottle & Lewis in 2004, a partner in 2007 and has headed the litigation department there for the last couple of years.

During the interim period prior to joining Harbottle full time, Limelight Movie Art was born. With Millmore's business partner running the shop floor, the gallery started out small before moving to larger premises in Chelsea two years ago.

He says: "Between firms, I was looking for some other projects that were more artistic or creative. Running the gallery has worked as a confirmation of my hobby but the exposure to the actual running of a business has proved highly relevant to my legal practice. It has increased the understanding of my clients' best interests."

In addition, Millmore has recently found a new way to combine his day job as a lawyer with the running of the gallery. His practice in IP law led him to become interested in holding some rights of his own, and he recently managed to acquire the rights to a number of previously unpublished Marilyn Monroe prints, a first-time purchase, film buffs will tell you, that is not insignificant.

However, as Millmore does not describe himself as a Marilyn fanatic, he intends to sell off the prints to collectors with a specialist interest in the late iconic actress. The limited edition prints, which stretch 32in by 32in and have been produced by the gallery in just seven collector copies, go for a bargain £3,500 – although 
only five remain after two flew off the 
shelves in a hurry.

Other bestsellers in the gallery include the Bond film series, with the franchise remaining popular throughout its decades-long existence, while films directed by Quentin Tarantino are also collectors' items despite their relative youth. According to Millmore, a Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs poster may collect £1,000. "That is quite punchy for films that are just 10 or 15 years old," he comments.

But, he says, the most popular above all the rest are the iconic film posters from the middle of the last century, with classics like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Steve McQueen in The Getaway and the Hitchcock horrors remaining undying favourites among customers. All of the Disney animated films throughout the decades have also remained popular, while cult films like the 1987 British classic Withnail & I are also in demand.

He says: "Film posters like Breakfast at Tiffany's portray cinematic icons and, generally, film poster design was much more interesting in the 30s, 40s and 50s than it is now."

The gallery is not Millmore's first business venture – for a time he owned the Totland Pier on the Isle of Wight, although he sold the 450ft long entertainment venue (for what he claims was at a significant loss) some years back.

Despite all of his extra-curricular activities, however, Millmore has no plans to give up his career in law. He says: "The best thing about the law job is that you get to be a part of solving problems. For the client, this can be an upsetting and difficult time, but being a litigator is to solve disputes creatively for a positive outcome."

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