McCormicks acts for an impressive roster of football clubs and associations, prominent sporting individuals and professional cycling clients, which seek out the firm for the extensive expertise of founding partner Peter McCormick, a pre-eminent sports lawyer who is the former chairman of the Premier League, the Football Association and the Football Foundation. Leading the practice alongside McCormick are James Towler, who focuses on corporate and commercial transactions, and David Birks, whose wide-ranging expertise covers sporting disputes and Premier League and EFL regulations. Peter Minnikin is well versed in game shooting law and regularly advises estates; and Iain Jenkins assists sporting clients with employment matters.

Pinsent Masons LLP excels in handling transactional and employment matters for its sporting clients; the group acts for football teams, rugby clubs, fitness and wellness brands and prominent sponsors. The team is jointly led by Matthew Clayton-Stead and Joe McMorrow out of Leeds; the former advises on capital and acquisition finance work for football clubs, and the latter handles employment-related matters for sporting clients. Josh Botfield and Scott Oxley support on corporate and commercial matters, while Charlotte Harman assists McMorrow with employment-related mandates.

Tennis and football associations and clubs comprise the bulk of Tyr‘s client portfolio, with the firm also advising the International Tennis Integrity Agency on contentious matters related to match fixing, corruption and doping; Crystal Palace FC, Swansea City FC and the Lawn Tennis Association are also key clients for the firm. Practice head Alistair McHenry is the sole practitioner and is adept at regulatory and financial disputes; he also advises on arbitration proceedings and commercial sponsorship matters.

Walker Morris LLP‘s comprehensive sports practice advises on mergers and acquisitions, commercial deals and corporate investments as well as high-profile contentious matters such as arbitrations and disciplinary charges regarding sport specific rules and regulations. Key team members include Christian Slinger, who handles regulatory and general compliance matters; and newly promoted partner Charlotte Smith, who heads up the firm’s employment sport practice. Owen Ormond departed the firm in December 2023, and David Hinchcliffe, along with several other team members, departed to Wiggin LLP in September 2024.

Ward Hadaway LLP's sports practice was bolstered by the arrival of Philip Edmondson, who leads the practice and regularly offers regulatory advice to sports clubs; he also advises national governing bodies on disciplinary matters and football agents on transfers and FIFA regulations. Further key names in the Leeds office are Owen Ormond, who joined the firm in January 2024 and frequently advises Premier League and Football League clubs on corporate recovery matters, and Dan Lyon, who acts on construction matters relating to sports stadiums and training spaces.