Level partner Suzi Sendama joins new foundation supporting creative talent

Established in memory of the renowned fashion and luxury lawyer Hugh Devlin, the Foundation continues his longstanding

commitment to championing and protecting creatives. Throughout his career, Hugh advised some of the world’s leading brands while also giving his time and expertise freely to designers, artists and founders who might otherwise have struggled to access professional support.

The Foundation connects UK-based individuals and small businesses working across fashion, beauty, art and design with experienced

lawyers, accountants and other specialists. Advisers provide pro bono support at critical moments, including when creatives are facing difficult contracts, intellectual property issues, business decisions or pivotal career challenges.

Suzi’s involvement was recently featured by Vogue, alongside leading creative figures supporting the initiative, including Anya Hindmarch, Charlotte Tilbury, Christopher and Tammy Kane and Sam McKnight.

Speaking to Vogue, Suzi highlighted how the cost of specialist advice can lead even established creative bus

inesses to proceed with contracts without fully understanding the risks. The Foundation aims to close that gap by making experienced, sector-specific advice available without an otherwise inaccessible price tag.

Suzi said:

“In the creative sectors, IP is everything. Your brand, your unique voice and identity, is your leverage and your value.”

For Suzi, early advice is particularly important. Agreements involving collaborations, licensing and ownership of intellectual property can have lasting consequences, especially when a project grows significantly beyond its original scope. Helping creatives understand the tangible value of their work enables them to negotiate from a stronger position and protect what they are building.

Suzi’s approach closely reflects the Foundation’s aim of providing more than purely technical legal answers. As a trusted adviser to founders, entrepreneurs and businesses across the creative sectors, she combines legal expertise in intellectual property, commercial contracts and brand protection with a detailed understanding of the commercial realities in which her clients operate.

The Hugh Devlin Foundation opens for applications online to UK-based applicants at the end of June. Those eligible (in fashion, art, hair and beauty, and design, reflecting the breadth of Devlin’s interests) will be triaged for their problems and matched with expert volunteers. The foundation welcomes further volunteers from the legal and financial luxury sectors who are interested in joining its work.

Applications for support are now open to eligible UK-based creatives through the Hugh Devlin Foundation website.