The litigation, corporate and employment teams including principal associate Rachael Somerset and partners Chris Ross and Sara Barrett have been working closely with Coronation Street producers and script writers since last September, advising on the legal aspects of several plots involving Carla Connor and the Underworld textiles factory.
The storylines in recent weeks have included Carla’s plans to shut down the factory and outsource production to China, the collapse of the factory roof and the subsequent relocation of the workers to the community centre where they were forced to carry on using Carla’s new business model.
The team has been helping to ensure the scripts are accurate and the legal issues are true to life. They have also been advising on a series of upcoming storylines involving the factory, which will be screened over the summer.
Other members of the Manchester office advising on the storylines include partners Simon Pedley and Helen Fyles, associate Daniel Rathbone and trainee solicitors Gabriel Swales, Jessica Cherry and Sadie Moss.
Defamation and media litigation specialist Rachael Somerset said: “It’s been a pleasure working with the Coronation Street team and contributing to the nations’ favourite soap, which is a true national treasure. We have helped with the initial legal advice on story ideas then reviewed and made amendments to the scripts.
“The storylines involving Carla and the factory have involved some complex and technical legal issues surrounding corporate, employment and litigation law and the whole team were delighted to advise the producers and script writers to ensure the plots were portrayed accurately. We look forward to continuing to advise on the unfolding storylines on the future of Underworld and beyond.”
A spokesperson for Coronation Street said: “The legal advice we have received from Mills & Reeve has been invaluable towards our research on these topics. They've helped to ensure our storylines are as accurate as possible for our millions of viewers.”
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