• Corporate Commercial
• Employment
• Insolvency & Business Recovery
• IP Media
  • Art & Cultural Property
  • Brand Protection
  • Freedom of Expression & Human Rights
  • Intellectual Property
  • IT & Software
  • Libel, Defamation & Reputation
  • Media Law & Regulatory
  • Sports Law
• Litigation
• Real Estate

Our sports law practice encompasses a range of legal services from intellectual property to reputation management to sponsorship/agency agreements. We advise competitors and talent, teams, sponsors, management companies, agencies, media companies and event/competition organisations on contractual negotiations, disputes and regulatory compliance. We have particular experience in motorsport, football (two of our partners are FA Agents - Registered Lawyers) and cricket, but we cover the whole range of sporting activity (including horses and greyhounds).

Our services include:

• image and intellectual property rights protection and exploitation
• drafting and negotiation of the full range of commercial agreements including management, agency, sponsorship, merchandising, licensing, appearance and performance
• media rights exploitation including film, TV, radio, internet, telecoms and converging technologies
• company structure (including innovative funding mechanisms)
• company acquisitions and disposals
• reputation management advice including defamation and privacy
• regulatory compliance and breaches of rules
• representation at sports tribunals and disciplinary hearings
• advice and representation in relation to drugs/WADA related disputes
• Police investigations and criminal matters
• Pre-nuptial agreements, divorce and family related matters
• Residency and domicile
• Offshore structures and trusts
• Wills and estates planning

Recent experience advising:

• a premiership footballer in connection with (unfounded) rape allegations and connected reputation management issues
• in regulatory and disciplinary complaints in the sports arena including motorsport (including competitors and teams in karting series, Formula Renault, Formula 3, F3 Euro, Euroseries 3000, F2, GP2, F1 and Powerboat P1), football and athletics and also many matters involving drugs related offences
• a Formula 1 driver at World Motor Sports Council hearings (Paris)
• successful challenge of Grand Prix disqualification of competitors of Powerboat P1 (Monaco)
• a management company in dispute with talent arising from breach of management contract
• a talent and management company in relation to joint venture agreements with commercial partners
• on numerous actions for breach of trade marks and passing off including dealing with social media defamation and fake identities