Northridge Law LLP– Europe’s largest sport law boutique- boasts a client roster that spans clubs, governing bodies, investors, and corporates. Following a further year of expansion, clients continue to turn to the firm for high-profile and business-critical matters at the pinnacle of sport, such as the sale of Everton FC to The Friedkin Group and Red Bull on its investment in Leeds United’s ownership group. The firm remains at the forefront of cricket’s structural transformation, having advised on investment in the Oval Invincibles and Yorkshire CCC on the restructuring of the Northern Superchargers. Many of the aforementioned transactional matters were led by Ian Lynam, who is described as having ‘great intellect and commercial awareness’. James Eighteen and Jonathan Ellis are go-to litigators who receive mandates from some of football’s most notable clients, including the FA and various Premier League clubs. Jon Walters and Paul Shapiro have a deep understanding of the commercial and regulatory landscapes, whilst Jamie Feldman heads the firm’s employment practice.

Onside Law LLP continues to operate as a leading boutique in the sports legal market with a track record advising high-profile individuals, governing bodies and commercial players across the global sports industry. The firm’s expertise spans both contentious and non-contentious matters, with standout capabilities in complex commercial deals, regulatory frameworks, and image rights management. It continues to play a leading role in some of sport’s most significant transactions. The practice is also a trusted adviser to elite athletes and their families, such as Jude Bellingham, Jack Grealish, and Jannik Sinner, providing commercial, contractual and reputational guidance. In the growing sport-tech and influencer-led market, the firm has acted on innovative projects such as the Baller League’s €25m investment round involving social media figures and private equity investors. Jamie Singer is a key member of the commercial offering, regularly advising major domestic and international football clubs on strategic partnerships. Simon Thorp heads up the corporate practice, whilst Oliver Hunt has a strong track record in talent representation. Chris Walsh has long-acted as the principal external legal advisor to the England and Wales Cricket Board, and has been active in handling the sale of multiple Hundred teams to private investors. Adam Leadercramer is well-renowned for his capability in the digital media and sponsorships space.

Centrefield LLP is a leading specialist in sports law, with a client base that spans Premier League and EFL clubs, international teams, governing bodies, and high-profile athletes. The Manchester-based firm has a particularly strong foothold in football, advising on a broad spectrum of regulatory, contractual, and commercial matters, with a notable strength in overseeing player transfer and contractual matters, involving over 250 transfers globally in 2024 and 2025. The team also has a strong regulatory capability, demonstrated by its successful representation of Leicester City Football Club. Matthew Bennett boasts a strong national and international practice, which sees him regularly instructed to advise on complex and high-value international player transfers, high-profile disciplinary cases and disputes. Stuart Baird, in addition to significant player transfers, has assisted on disciplinary proceedings concerning alleged breaches of the Profitability and Sustainability Rules, including a successful appeal before the Premier League Appeal Board. Edward Canty is regularly involved in disputes, often before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, whilst David Bentham specialises in commercial agreements. Oliver Sadler and Philip Bonner are also important members of the outfit.

Charles Russell Speechlys LLP houses a full-service sports law team, capable of advising governing bodies, clubs, athletes, and corporate investors on a spectrum of commercial, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm regularly advises on M&A activity throughout the English football pyramid and its sports corporate group also advises on joint ventures, commercial partnerships, and sports asset financing. Keir Gordon is particularly well-known for his football expertise and has vast experience working in football corporate matters. On the commercial side, the firm acts on major media rights, sponsorship, and marketing deals, while the regulatory team is noted for its work on governance, investigations, safeguarding, and anti-doping matters. Based in the firm’s commercial team, Jason Saiban advises on sponsorship, digital media, merchandising, endorsements, and event management, and serves as relationship partner to major clients, including sports brands, governing bodies, teams, and agencies. Edward Craig is a regulatory specialist with a strong track record in horse racing matters. Jon Higton is an important part of the team. Head of Sport at the firm, Richard Davies, specialises in sponsorship and media rights and arrangements in the sports-tech space. Nic Couchman  is a sector specialist.

Clifford Chance LLP’s sports practice has seen major growth, attracting industry recognition and press coverage for its involvement in high-profile mandates, notably including the ‘sports law trial of the century’ in which it defended Manchester City in disciplinary proceedings. A comprehensive team led by litigation specialists James Cranston, Chris Yates, and Jason Epstein represented the reigning Premier League champions against the Premier League, in light of the 115 charges of financial breaches against them. This case is demonstrative of the firm’s increased presence and capability in big-ticket sporting work, and on the transactional side, the team has advised key private equity investors on high-value deals including major domestic and international clubs and bodies. With deep expertise spanning commercial, IP, competition, and finance, the firm is a go-to adviser for major stakeholders and investors across UK and European sport. Jennifer Chimanga has an active transactional practice, whilst Jamie Andrew is the firm’s commercial lead.

CMS maintains a strong reputation in the sports sector, with standout expertise in high-value, complex media rights deals for rightsholders including the ICC, FIFA, and the ECB, boasting one of the most robust practices of its kind. Demonstrative of this strength, John Cloke and Oliver Kichenside advise the Premier League on the development and implementation of its full domestic and international broadcasting strategy, including the structuring, tendering, and negotiation of all global media rights agreements. The team also continues to expand its regulatory work, whilst its commercial workload spans sponsorships, naming rights, and data partnerships. David Zeffman has extensive experience providing strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to clients in the sport, gambling and television sectors, whilst IP expert Tom Scourfield works with organisations on issues including brand management and content protection. John Enser is also a key member of the practice.

Level continues to consolidate its position as a major player in the sports law market, with a dedicated and fast-growing team acting on some of the most high-profile and complex matters in the industry. Following a further year of growth, the firm boasts 18 specialist senior lawyers, supported by a team of juniors, allowing depth across all core disciplines – spanning corporate, commercial, disputes, regulatory, disciplinary, employment, and media rights. In the past 12 months, the firm has handled a high volume of player transfers and contractual matters, often led by co-founder Daniel Lowen, with advice provided on a number of marquee projects, including the Lucas Paquetá disciplinary investigation and various high-profile Premier League transfers and contractual matters. The firm’s client base includes major international governing bodies, teams, broadcasters, agencies, and high-profile athletes. Morris Bentata leads the media rights practice, assisting notable clients ranging FIFA, Netflix and DAZN, with activity in the women’s sport space becoming increasingly common. The disputes and regulatory arm of the practice is especially active, with Tim Lowles recognised for his leading reputation in sports litigation and reputation management, and Alastair Campbell handling a growing volume of disciplinary cases. On the commercial side, Fraser Reid and Dan Harrington are recommended. Jody MacDonald works on data, betting and technology matters, while managing associate Jonathan Hyman is highlighted for his developing boxing practice and broader talent matters.

Lewis Silkin’s provides comprehensive advice to a wide range of sport sector clients, including clubs, athletes, federations, agencies, investors, venues, and media platforms. The team has seen continued strength in its football offering, acting for a broad range of Premier League clubs, as well as being active in the women’s game. The work includes contentious and non-contentious contractual matters for coaching staff and sporting directors, as well as a breadth of commercial and IP mandates. Alex Kelham is a prominent figure in the market and advises on a wide range of sports sponsorship, events, media and other commercial rights deals in sport. Stephen O’Flaherty has vast experience working on immigration matters, regularly supporting football clubs on the international transfer of players and the recruitment of international coaches. Duran Ross is a specialist litigator whilst JJ Shaw handles IP matters.

Mills & Reeve LLP provides a full-service sports law offering with a strong national presence. With a multidisciplinary team that advises clients across the commercial, regulatory, disciplinary, and contentious spectrum, the team advises on major international player transfers, image rights, training compensation, and anti-doping, acting for clubs, governing bodies, agents, and athletes. Practice head Carol Couse maintains a profile as a FIFA mediator, whilst also regularly acting for high-profile players and managers, including Cole Palmer- and having deep knowledge of the women’s football landscape. Mark Hovell has vast experience before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, while boosting the team’s contentious capabilities. Paddy Lynam is active in the real estate transaction space, often in horseracing. Phil Hutchinson is a key member of the practice and has strong anti-doping knowledge. The arrivals of Alastair Cotton and John Shea in 2023 and 2024 have further boosted the breadth and capability of the practice.

Morgan Sports Law is widely recognised as a market leader in anti-doping matters, with its dedicated practice, led by managing partner Mike Morgan, having acted on many of the highest-profile global cases in recent years. The firm’s unique in-house Science Unit, comprising lawyers and scientists, enhances its ability to handle complex doping matters without external input. This market-leading capability is demonstrated by the firm’s involvement in some of sport’s biggest doping matters, including representing high-profile athletes such as Connor Benn and Paul Pogba. Beyond anti-doping, the firm has capabilities across sports disputes, particularly in football. Its specialist equestrian and rugby practices also continue to grow, acting for athletes, clubs, governing bodies, and unions across multiple jurisdictions. Richard Martin and Donna Bartley lead the team alongside Morgan.

Pinsent Masons LLP continues to act for key stakeholders in the sport industry, including governing bodies, clubs, commercial rights holders, and investors, and is noted for longstanding relationships with high-profile clients including the FA and major Premier League clubs. The team has advised on prominent regulatory matters, including its representation of Everton in relation to charges brought by the Premier League concerning alleged breaches of its Profit and Sustainability Rules. Practice head Trevor Watkins has long been one of the most prominent lawyers in the space and is particularly noted for his work on high-profile M&A and financing transactions, major sporting events, and commercial opportunities. In 2025, he played a key role in the Everton FC sale and advised clubs and owners across all four divisions of English football. Julian-Diaz Rainey leads the firm’s global Disputes & Regulatory Sports Team and is a specialist in football-related litigation, arbitration, and governance, acting for top-tier clubs, players, intermediaries, and governing bodies. Samantha Livesey is also highlighted for her knowledge in commercial matters.

Slaughter and May continues to leverage its broad corporate and real estate capabilities to make significant strides in the sport sector. Over the past year, the team has been involved in some notable matters in football, such as acting for Sir Jim Ratcliffe on his acquisition of a shareholding in Manchester United FC, and advising the Premier League in the defence of high-profile legal challenges brought by Manchester City FC. Mark Zerdin and Andrew Jolly co-head the practice and specialise in corporate matters. Zerdin is a renowned specialist in F1 matters, whilst Jolly is a go-to advisor for Ratcliffe on his landmark investment. Beyond a strong corporate and litigious matters, the firm maintains a leading position in major sports stadium projects, advising Everton FC on the ongoing Bramley-Moore Dock stadium development and Crystal Palace FC on the redevelopment of Selhurst Park. Richard Todd and Tom Inker are the key lawyers on this side of the practice.

Squire Patton Boggs demonstrates comprehensive capabilities in the sporting sector, handling a range of corporate, regulatory and real estate matters for a breadth of sporting clients. The firm’s diverse and high-profile client base includes the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), the Rugby Football Union (RFU), and prominent media professionals. Driven by the experienced Stephen Sampson, the firm maintains a pre-eminent football practice, advising ten current Premier League clubs, with recent mandates including the representation of Nottingham Forest FC in proceedings following breaches of the Premier League’s Profitability & Sustainability Rules. Wayne Barnes sits within the Government Investigations team but focuses much of his practice on sport safeguarding matters. Mike Llewellyn handles a range of commercial matters. Katie Smith and Henry Goldschmidt are important members of the team.

Brabners LLP maintains a strong reputation in the sports sector, acting for a wide-ranging client base that includes national governing bodies, professional clubs, and high-profile individuals. The firm is a trusted adviser to the likes of Aquatics GB, the England and Wales Cricket Board, the EFL, and several Premier League and EFL football clubs, as well as clubs across rugby union and rugby league. The practice offers a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary service, drawing upon specialist expertise across areas such as governance, safeguarding, employment, tax, litigation, IP, real estate, and reputation management. Recent instructions include acting for Plymouth Argyle FC and its charitable arm in relation to a £23m redevelopment of youth academy and community facilities. Practice head Lydia Edgar has established a strong reputation in the sports sector for advising clients with complex, high-value and high-profile employment-related issues. Colin Bell heads the intellectual property team, whilst Paul Lunt handles contentious matters. Bell and Lunt, alongside Jason Smith, form a key part of the firm’s sport offering.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner advises a diverse client base across a spectrum of regulatory, commercial, and contentious matters in sport. The group is particularly active in sports financing and complex cross-border litigation and arbitration, with recent work spanning proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber, FA Disciplinary proceedings. This capability to handle complex matters is demonstrated by the team’s representation of Rights and Media Funding Limited, the financial services company, on an acquisition by The Friedkin Group, Inc. of a majority stake in Everton FC. Graham Shear, who focuses much of his practice on commercial and regulatory litigation, leads the team. Insolvency specialist Marc Trottier advises on a wide range of sports financing and restructurings. Andrew Street and Kate Jeffery are also active in the space.

Farrer & Co boasts notable expertise in safeguarding, reputation management, and employment-related advisory work, regularly counselling a range of significant sports clients. The team is routinely instructed by national governing bodies, professional clubs, and international federations. The group has acted on safeguarding audits, investigations, and appeals, often involving complex case management and cross-border regulatory considerations. It also regularly advises on high-profile reputation issues and handles employment investigations linked to safeguarding and misconduct. Julian Pike is recognised for his longstanding work at the intersection of sport, media, and reputation management. Tom Bruce leads the practice and is a key contact for a number of major international clients. Katie Fudakowski leads the safeguarding branch of the practice, whilst Owen O’Rorke continues to advise on data privacy and confidentiality issues.

Freshfields has demonstrated a comprehensive range of capabilities in the sport sector, spanning regulatory, transactional and contentious matters. Most notably, the team has been advising Manchester City FC on various regulatory issues, including a claim against the Premier League, which was led by Rhodri Thomas and Deba Das. Beyond the firm’s wider capabilities, which enable it to provide advice to sporting organisations on high-value corporate matters, they have a number of lawyers with other specialisms who contribute to the practice. Charles Hayes has a private capital practice which handles high-value transactions in the sports space, such as SURJ Sports Investment’s deal with DAZN, a global streaming platform. David Brooks advises on a range of intellectual property and commercial issues arising from the sector, including image rights, sponsorship arrangements and player agreements. Chris Mort leads the sport practice and leads on many of the team’s most significant matters, whether they be contentious or non-contentious. Associate Felix Schaaf has been described by clients as a ‘brilliant and creative lawyer’.

Harbottle & Lewis LLP maintains a strong presence across the sports sector, with expertise spanning sponsorship and commercial agreements, regulatory and governance advice, and reputation management. The firm is regularly instructed by both rights holders and global brands on sports marketing matters, including major sponsorships, licensing and merchandising deals, and commercial programme structuring. Recent mandates include assisting Diageo on its inaugural sponsorship agreement with the Premier League. Player-side work continues to be a strong aspect of the offering, with the firm advising on player and driver contracts, alongside endorsement deals for high-profile names including Kai Havertz and Tyrone Mings. Bob Mitchell has deep sector knowledge, which allows him to counsel clients on both commercial and regulatory issues. Michael Lister leads the practice alongside Mitchell, whilst associate Sam Purkiss is an important part of the team.

Latham & Watkins regularly advises on high-profile, high-value matters within the sporting world, with a client base that spans governing bodies, investors, broadcasters, teams, and sponsors. The team is particularly active on transactional mandates involving private capital and sports investment, as well as complex commercial, regulatory, and event-driven projects. It has recently advised the England & Wales Cricket Board on structuring investment into the eight teams in The Hundred competition. Other key mandates include acting for Manchester United on the sale of a minority stake to INEOS Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Patrick Mitchell leads the sports practice and has particular expertise advising clients on media rights and sponsorship arrangements. Corporate partners Farah O’Brien, Martin Davies and Edward Barnett contribute to the practice. Sanjev Warna-kula-suriya and Samuel Newhouse are also cited as integral players.

Linklaters LLP‘s sports practice has emerged as one of the firm’s fastest-growing sectors, boasting a client base that includes significant stakeholders in a range of sports. The firm remains the go-to legal adviser to the English Premier League, acting across some highly complex regulatory matters. Elsewhere, the team has developed a strong track record in motorsport, recently advising on the entry of Audi and General Motors/Cadillac into Formula 1. Tom Cassels is the global co-head of the sport sector, and his litigation background positions him to act as a skilled adviser to the firm’s high-profile clients. Associate Shamin Choudhury leads alongside Cassels and focuses his practice on strategic M&A transactions and structured finance arrangements. Partners Reza Taylor and David Martin contribute to the firm’s sports offering.

Mishcon de Reya LLP‘s sports group continues to advise on complex matters across regulatory, commercial, and contentious work. The team has acted on significant contracts and commercial matters for high-profile athletes, including Marcus Rashford. Its wider commercial portfolio includes involvement in a $1bn OTT streaming deal in boxing and acting for corporates such as TikTok on sports-focused investments. The group has also advised on governance, competition and media issues for clients ranging from international governments to national governing bodies and remains active on a range of financial and disciplinary issues on the regulatory side. In keeping with the firm-wide commitment to innovation, work has continued across the sportstech, data, and AI fields, and is regularly instructed on new ventures and start-ups in these sectors. Key names to note include Peter Nunn , the driving force behind the sport disputes practice, and Kavan Bakhda, joined as a partner from Kennedy’s in 2025.

Muckle LLP boasts a niche practice advising sporting organisations and governing bodies on club structures, tax status, and complex facilities schemes. Much of the firm’s work is project-driven, often advising on large-scale grassroots sport and infrastructure projects. Recent examples of this include advising The Football Foundation on its £200m Parklife facilities project, which aimed to introduce new 3G pitches across the country. The firm also remains an adviser to The FA on its Club Programme, supporting the growth of grassroots football through a package of legal and operational support to hundreds of community clubs. Chris Hook has deep expertise in the community sports sector, whilst his co-head, Tony McPhillips, is a sports and employment law expert. Samantha Pritchard is experienced in charity law.

RPC advises on a wide range of commercial and regulatory sports matters, with particular strength in the development of women’s sport. The team advised over 25 clubs on the formation of the new company operating the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship, as well as providing counsel to the Women’s Super League on multiple significant commercial transactions. The firm has since been appointed as sole partner to Premiership Women’s Rugby and the Netball Super League team, London Mavericks. The firm’s wider client base spans a range of major stakeholders and rights-holders in sport and esports and ongoing relationships include advisory work for Google, Newcastle United FC, England Lacrosse, Saracens and Sport England. Jeremy Drew and Josh Charalambous co-lead the Sports Group. Neil Brown provides a corporate specialism to the team, whilst associate Ellie Chakarto works closely with sport clients on a range of commercial and IP issues.

Sheridans is regularly instructed across both contentious and transactional matters for a client base that spans governing bodies, private investors, clubs, global athletes, agencies and rights holders. The team advises numerous high-profile individuals, including Premier League footballers Declan Rice and Phil Foden, WSL stars such as Alessia Russo, and other elite athletes across Formula 1, boxing and horse racing. Daniel Geey has developed a robust practice representing talent in their sporting and commercial matters and counsels all the aforementioned players on a breadth of matters.  The outfit also maintains an active role in club-side advisory work, with recent mandates involving Swansea City and Harlequins. The firm continues to be a prominent name in traditional and emerging sports, particularly women’s football, esports, and sports technology, demonstrated by their involvement in Sidemen projects, The Baller League and the Sidemen Charity Match. Andrew Nixon leads the sport practice, and Chris Paget represents parties on all sides of sporting transactions. Jonny Madill and Nii Anteson are important members of the team.

Wiggin LLP has had a year of significant growth in the sport sector, notably through the addition of a seven-strong football-focused team from Walker Morris LLP, led by the experienced David Hinchcliffe. Hinchcliffe’s experience stretches from M&A transactions to complex litigation, and he has brought a high-profile client list with him, including various Premier League clubs. This spree of hires has significantly broadened the firm’s capabilities in football-related dispute resolution, governance, and finance. Beyond Hinchcliffe’s club-side practice, Sarah MacDonald has been active in the sponsorship space, regularly working with brands in marketing and distributing content across a variety of platforms, with clients including bet365 and Vodafone. Ross Sylvester has strong commercial acumen and co-leads the team alongside Hinchcliffe.

Fladgate LLP advises on a wide spectrum of sports, regularly supporting governing bodies, teams, sponsors, and athletes across various contentious and non-contentious matters. The team has been particularly active in commercial matters, demonstrating strong capabilities in advising, negotiating and drafting commercial contracts on behalf of significant organisations and individuals, such as Jermain Defoe. Additionally, Taj Rehal contributes to the offering with employment expertise, demonstrated by his representation of the ECB in their appointment of Brendan McCullum as white-ball coach of the England men’s team. Specialist litigator John Evans is capable of handling complex sporting disputes, alongside Mark Buckley. James Earl is the key contact in the practice and is experienced in handling a range of financing matters. Alex Haffner and Alan Wetterhahn are important members of the practice.

Hamlins LLP offers a multidisciplinary sports offering combining commercial, IP, corporate, regulatory, and privacy expertise. The team acts across a broad spectrum of sports, including football, cricket, and tennis, and has experience advising on the structuring and launch of new formats and events, including SailGP, The Hundred, and the Professional Triathletes Organisation. Privacy and reputation management is a key strength, with Christopher Hutchings representing sportspeople in defamation and image rights disputes. Matthew Pryke brings two decades of industry experience from roles with leading sports management companies and continues to advise high-profile figures and rights holders. Recent growth includes the addition of commercial disputes partners Giles Bright, who supports clients on contentious matters.

Lawrence Stephens solicitors continue to represent a star-studded client list, reflecting their comprehensive capabilities in talent representation. Well equipped to handle significant player transfers, contractual matters and commercial deals, the firm has attracted some high-profile international athletes as new clients in 2025, including Jofra Archer, Louis Rees-Zammit and Daniel Dubois. These athletes join a list which already includes England men’s football captain Harry Kane, for whom Mohit Pasricha provides ongoing counsel on a variety of matters, including image rights, commercial sponsorships and brand ambassador deals. Pasricha is the driving force behind the team and is well-renowned for his talent and knowledge of the sector; however, associates Jake Cohen, William Bowyer, and Angélique Richardson are vital members of the practice and are trusted advisors to many of the firm’s more high-profile clients.

McCormicks boasts a longstanding prominence in sports law, particularly football, under the leadership of senior partner Peter McCormick OBE. McCormick has held numerous high-profile governance positions, including Chairman of the Premier League, the FA, and the Premier League Stadium Fund, and serves on multiple disciplinary, governance, and regulatory panels across the sector. The firm is the Premier League’s retained adviser on the Owners’ and Directors’ Test and also serves as lead legal adviser to clubs including Leeds United, Norwich City, and Harrogate Town, and represents the Isthmian League. David Birks heads the disputes and litigation branch of the team. James Towler and Peter Minnikin contribute to the practice.

Drawing on expertise from across the firm’s corporate, commercial, technology and IP departments, the Simons Muirhead Burton Sport Group provides a multi-disciplinary service to a varied client base that includes athletes, agents, clubs, and governing bodies. The team has been active in the commercial space, and a significant recent highlight includes acting as exclusive legal advisors to The Football Association on the sale of media rights for the Women’s Super League, including auction design, drafting and negotiation of licence extensions with Sky and the BBC. Marc Sobol is a media rights expert, leveraging his vast experience working in-house in the sports broadcasting industry. Simon Goldberg and Neil Jones contribute to the firm’s sport offering.

TSC Legal operates as a sport law boutique embedded within The Sports Consultancy, giving the team a platform to provide commercially focused legal advice across the international sports and live events sectors. The team is recognised for its expertise in major event bidding and hosting. Led by Andy Korman and Rob Jones, the group has advised on global tenders, event hosting agreements, and related commercial documentation for events. Most recently, Jones has been handling the host city bid process for the finals of the European Rugby Champions Cup.

Walker Morris LLP continues to restructure its sport practice following a series of departures throughout 2024, with Charlotte Smith heading up a new-look team. Smith has vast experience in employment law, and acts for a variety of Premier League and Football League clubs on their employment matters, including Leeds United, Burnley and Bournemouth. Carly Thorpe focuses her practice on construction disputes and has leveraged her expertise to support some of the firm’s clients on stadium, pitch and floodlighting issues. Sally Mewies and Philip Scott, senior partners from the wider firm, contribute to the sport offering.

Brandsmiths retains its strong foothold in the sports sector. The firm is regularly instructed by leading clubs, players, agents, and governing bodies on a wide spectrum of work spanning regulatory, commercial, litigation, and media-related issues. A core focus is football, where the team routinely represents both clubs and talent on a range of player transfer, contractual and commercial matters. Tom Keane co-heads the Sport, Media and Entertainment Group, alongside David Seligman, and is trusted a counsel to many clients operating within the football industry. Keane has vast experience in structuring football transactions. Michael Forrester heads the litigation branch of the team, and is capable of handling urgent reputation management matters for high-profile talent. Adam Morallee has experience in boxing and motorsport, as well as football.

Bray & Krais fields a prominent sports practice led by Udo Onwere, a former professional footballer and trusted advisor to elite athletes and sports professionals. The team is particularly active in high-profile football matters, with significant experience negotiating contracts and managing commercial portfolios for Premier League players. Recent work includes advising Reece James on a six-year contract extension with Chelsea FC, and supporting Lauren James on her commercial arrangements ahead of UEFA Women’s Euro 2025. Beyond football, the firm’s expertise spans athlete brand management, media, and sponsorship arrangements, with recent matters including advising Jamie Redknapp on the creation of M&C Saatchi Football.

Burges Salmon LLP maintains a presence in the sports sector and has been active with work on media rights, sponsorship deals, regulatory and governance matters. The Bristol-based team is drawn from a variety of the firm’s wider practices, ensuring corporate, commercial and litigation capabilities. In a standout recent matter, the team advised the joint administrators of Wasps Rugby and the Coventry Arena group on complex insolvency issues and restructuring options following the collapse of the Premiership Rugby side. Jeremy Dickerson handles a breadth of work for sport clients, including commercial agreements, litigation and anti-doping. Helen Scott-Lawler specialises in managing IP and media rights for clients, often involved in horse-racing.

Dentons offers commercial support to players in the sports industry, handling media rights, image rights and contractual agreements. Notable clients include the FIFA Museum and the Pele Brand LLC. Richard Barham has vast experience advising sport sector clients and heads the firm’s offering in the sector. Anna Copeman specialises in both contentious and non-contentious intellectual property law, and has led the team advising the Pele Brand on its acquisition of global rights to the name. Simon Elliott handles data privacy and cybersecurity matters.

Macfarlanes LLP fields a cross-departmental sports group co-led by Malcolm Walton and Howard Corney, with specialists across corporate, commercial, and disputes advising a range of high-profile stakeholders and investors in the sector. The team has been notably active in the past year with corporate matters including mergers, acquisitions, and financings. Notable highlights include advising Surrey County Cricket Club on the investment process for the Hundred Cricket tournament. Rosie Duckworth has a strong commercial contracts practice which focuses on advertising work, and led a team which negotiated a sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways, on behalf of Premier Padel LLC. Richard Burrows is an important member of the team.

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP has capabilities in the sport sector that encompass representing individuals on employment, wealth management and disciplinary matters, as well as counselling sporting organisations in non-contentious and contentious matters. Andrew Haywood heads up the group and focuses on employment, eligibility, and discrimination matters. Richard Marshall has deep experience in contentious sport matters whilst Nick Humphreys handles Employment Tribunal litigation for managers, coaches and backroom staff in football. James Severn is a key member of the team.

Russells Solicitors offers a range of services to individuals and organisations operating within the sport sector. The team regularly handles commercial matters for sport stakeholders, such as their advisory role to Sauber F1 regarding its sponsorship matters in the UK. Henry Priestley has a litigation background and focuses his practice on IP, reputation management and breach of contract. Steven Tregear  heads the sporting department and represents individuals in contractual disputes. Tregear has also developed a practice drafting and negotiating boxer/promoter agreements. Sam Willmott became a partner in the team in May 2024.

Bates Wells advises a diverse client base across the sports sector, with a particularly strong presence in the governance and charitable arms of national governing bodies and grassroots clubs. The firm continues to act for sports organisations of all standards, including the England and Wales Cricket Board, on charity formation, restructuring, and governance framework. Thea Longley is a vastly experienced charity lawyer and often counsels sport clients on their matters. Associate Ben Thomas also specialises in the area, and is described as ‘a very good technical lawyer’ by clients.

Blaser Mills Law sports team continues to grow, recently becoming the exclusive legal partner of Charlton Athletic FC and expanding its client base across professional football and motorsport. The team advises Premier League players, clubs, and intermediaries on private client and transactional matters, while also handling multimillion-pound agreements and sponsorship deals in Formula 1, Formula E and other major motorsport series. Colin Smith, head of the firm’s Commercial Contracts team, is well positioned to assist clients with their commercial matters. Joshua Easterbrook has vast knowledge of the football industry.

Clintons‘ sports law practice leverages the firm’s longstanding heritage in media, entertainment and theatre to provide a broad offering to athletes, agents, and media professionals. Recent highlights include advising former footballer and high-profile media personality Gary Lineker on the renewal of his broadcast contract with the BBC. Karim Bouzidi is the key figure for contentious matters, regularly acting in complex disputes on behalf of global athletes and senior figures across various sports. Andrew Squires May leads the firm’s football representation practice.

Fieldfisher advises a diverse range of clients within the sports field, including clubs and governing bodies, on various contentious and non-contentious matters. The team’s offering is multi-disciplinary and recent highlights have ranged from employment litigation for Everton FC to representing Essex County Cricket Club in disciplinary proceedings. Litigation specialist John McElroy takes on commercial mandates in the sport sector, whilst Quinton Newcomb assists with governance issues and is a skilled investigator. Sarah Ellson and Shiv Haria-Shah also contribute to the firm’s sport offering.

Gowling WLG offers multi-disciplinary capabilities to sport clients, with core strengths including commercial contracts, brand protection, and real estate/infrastructure developments. The Birmingham-based practice’s IP capabilities have been demonstrated by its counsel to Major League Baseball on trademark protection. The sport sector also draws upon the expertise of the firm’s wider planning and construction lawyers to handle refurbishments, extensions and reconstructions of sports stadiums. Commercial specialist Sarah Riding co-leads the team alongside Ragi Singh, who has a prominent cricket practice. Ruth Griffin specialises in construction and engineering work.

Keoghs LLP provides a dual-faceted sport offering, with a healthcare practice operating out of London and an abuse disciplinary team based in Liverpool. The London-based team, driven by Sian Davies and Jason Howarth, advise on complex claims involving concussion, abuse, and medical practitioner liability, particularly in football and rugby. Ian Carroll, based in Liverpool, leads a team that is adept at handling abuse cases involving sporting organisations. Carroll is often supported by Christopher Wilson.

Keystone Law‘s sport offering is centred around Rachel Flynn‘s specialism in the horse racing and equine world. Flynn acts for a range of organisations and individuals in the sector, and her expertise spans employment issues, transactions and ownership agreements, alongside liability disputes. As well as this strength, the firm is able to support clients with contentious and non-contentious issues throughout a range of sports, boosted by Jamie Horner’s knowledge of the motorsport industry. Paul Renney is a commercial lawyer who is capable of handling intellectual property matters for sport clients.

Payne Hicks Beach LLP represents some notable names from the sporting world on a range of employment, reputation management and contractual matters. Clients include England international footballer Kyle Walker, for whom the firm is advising in respect of contentious issues surrounding press coverage of his private life. Jonathan Gatward and Dominic Crossley, who focus on sailing and Formula 1 respectively, are key members of the team. Hanna Basha is a specialist in defamation and privacy matters.

Russell-Cooke LLP’s sports law team offers a full-service legal offering to individuals, businesses, and not-for-profit organisations across all levels of the sports industry. The team advises on matters including contract negotiations, image rights, disciplinary proceedings, sponsorship agreements, governance, regulatory compliance, and safeguarding. Matt Bosworth has been assisting Sky with their branding by representing them in litigation regarding breaches of their IP rights in relation to live sport broadcasting. Gareth Roy frequently takes on an advisory role for charities and not-for-profit organisations operating within sport structures.

Stephenson Harwood remains involved in the sports industry, leveraging their firm-wide corporate, commercial and real estate expertise to provide a multi-disciplinary offering to a range of clients. Capabilities include advising on infrastructure redevelopment, reflected by Feroze Abbas‘ counsel of the Borough of Hounslow regarding the Brentford FC stadium, and providing tax advice to high-profile sports clubs and individuals. Ben Sigler heads the firm’s Sport Group and sits as a partner in the commercial litigation team. Julian Cahn is an insolvency specialist who has advised both corporations and individuals operating within the sector. Don Brown has a growing sports receivables finance practice, and Michael Rutili remains active in the space.

Winston & Strawn LLP is active in financing and discriminatory matters for sports clients. The team has represented lenders such as JP Morgan Chase Bank in financing matters to high-profile sporting organisations. Daniela Cohen has been active in this area and has provided counsel on multiple UK stadium financing projects. Peter Crowther is regularly involved in the sport practice, advising on matters relating to doping and athlete welfare. A team that spans London, Paris, New York and Chicago has been engaged in a significant gender discrimination arbitration claim against the International Olympic Committee.

Withers LLP offers multidisciplinary expertise across commercial, regulatory, and dispute work. The firm advises a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including clubs, governing bodies, intermediaries, and individual athletes. Recent highlights include advising Premier League club Leicester City on loan facilities and representing Algerian boxer Imane Khelif in a high-profile arbitration with the IBA regarding her eligibility to compete. The team is active in the football and motor sport spaces, being well-versed in international player transfers, intermediary registration, sponsorship and licensing deals, and sports-related tax planning. Luca Ferrari, who splits his time between London and Milan, is the key contact in the team. Jon Bond specialises in receivables financing in sports context, often advising high-profile football clubs. Sharon Whitehouse and Libby Payne make significant contributions to the firm’s sport practice.