Rebecca McCarthy > Hugh James > Cardiff, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

Hugh James has a strong grounding in the sports arena and deploys a multidisciplinary approach on behalf of broad and varied client portfolio spanning many different sports and types of client, including clubs, governing bodies and individuals. Nurtured over the years by ‘calm and sensible’ team head Gerallt Jones , the Welsh Rugby Union remains a core client, with banking and finance partner Dominic Marshall  recently advising it on the refinancing of its £20m CLBILS emergency loan secured in October 2020.  ‘Hugely experienced and able’ commercial litigator Tracey Singlehurst-Ward has a significant focus on sports mandates, and continues to spearhead the firm’s work for the British Boxing Board of Control. In July 2023 the firm acquired Cardiff-based boutique Loosemores, taking on a team well-regarded for its work for a wide range of clients covering a range of amateur and professional sports. The ‘knowledgeable and well-connected’ Mark Loosemore provides ‘highly commercial and thorough’ advice to many Welsh governing bodies, including the Football Association of Wales (FAW), across a range of commercial agreements, relating to, inter alia, sponsorship, image rights and hospitality rights deals. On the contentious front, the ‘very diligent’ Karl Thomas has a strong track record advising on sports disciplinary cases and sports regulatory disputes. Drawing upon her governance and charities law expertise, ‘very personable and helpful’ solicitor Rebecca McCarthy is also a key member of the team and ‘specialises in legal status for sports clubs’. 

As well as its traditional strength in the social housing space which elicits a considerable amount of property and employment work, in particular, Hugh James continues to pick up a growing number of charity legacy mandates, which is serviced by the firm’s market-leading private wealth offering. In this context, in addition to will drafting and the administration of estates involving sizeable charitable donations, the team is also noted for its disputes work, with leading contentious probate practitioner Roman Kubiak regularly engaged by both national and local charities on legacy protection. The team also regularly works alongside the firm’s core charities group, which is led from the London office by Peter Spencer. In summer 2023 the firm acquired Cardiff-based boutique Loosemores, which is known for providing ‘clear guidance and insight’ across a range of issues, including for clients seeking charitable status, as well as on governance and constitutional matters. Although her remit is broad, ‘proactive and responsive’ Rebecca McCarthy is particularly adept at advising clients in the sports and Christian church sectors; she recently acted for Welsh Sports Association on the structure, set-up and registration of a new charitable incorporated organisation, The Welsh Sports Foundation.