Blackstone Chambers fields several ‘doyens of sport law’, who are ‘in a league of their own’. The set acts for all types of domestic and international clients from the world of sports, including high-profile athletes, managers and agents, teams, broadcasters and other commercial parters as well as governing bodies on all types of matters from commercial activity to regulation. For example, Adam Lewis KC acted for the European Tour in its disciplinary proceedings relating to players having played in an LIV Golf tournament despite having been refused permission to play in the rebel tournament, while Tom Mountford and David Lowe, led by James Segan KC, acted on behalf of the golfers. In Fulham FC v Jones, a leading sports injury case, Luka Krsljanin was successful as sole counsel for the club in managing to get a judgement overturned which had found Fulham liable for a reckless tackle which caused career-ending injuries to a Swansea FC youth player. Jane Mulcahy KC acts for sports regulators, organisations and individuals and was recently active in cases concerning historic allegations of race discrimination.
Sport in
London Bar
Blackstone Chambers
Testimonials
‘I always try and deal with Adam Sloane who is a first rate clerk. He is always available, easy to deal with and accommodating.’
‘The clerks at Blackstone are by far the best set we have worked with. Gary Oliver leads an outstanding team and is brilliant with clients and business development.’
‘Always a great service. Billy Brian is very responsive and always helpful.’
‘Derek Sutton will always make himself available, is extremely responsive and discreet where he needs to be.’
‘The clerks are always fantastically responsive and pragmatic, Adam Sloane in particular.’
‘Outstanding set with unrivalled strength in depth.’
‘Blackstone are the go to chambers for sports and other complex matters including competition law.’
‘The go-to set for sports law – unrivalled in this regard. A superb suite of counsel for cases of all types.’
Work highlights
4 New Square Chambers
4 New Square Chambers acts ‘at the top of the field on high-profile sports disputes‘, in particular representing national and international sports governing bodies. For example, Pippa Manby managed to prosecuted former Northampton Saints player Chris Mayor, who was banned for four years for trafficking human growth hormone, while Kendrah Potts acted as sole counsel to the ICC in bringing corruption charges against the former West Indies player Marlon Samuels. Potts also led William Harman for the International Tennis Integrity Agency, bringing 107 charges for match-fixing against six professional tennis players. Turning to defence work, Richard Liddell KC acted for race horse trainer Richard Hannon in a BHA case after a race horse’s urine sample was found to contain arsenic. Members of the set sit as well – Graeme McPherson KC chaired the determination of the EFL’s Financial Fair Play charges against Derby County FC.
Testimonials
‘Clerks coordinate very well. Dennis Peck, Alex Dolby and Jack Boggans are all truly great. ‘
‘The clerks are very helpful. Dennis Peck is particularly knowledgeable.’
‘Dennis Peck does a great job of staying close to the subject matter expertise of his sports members, and the set generally is up there with the best in terms of clerking.’
‘Dennis Peck and Andrew Call are particularly user friendly.’
‘The clerks are very professional and good to work with.’
‘A very strong set, who are commercial, a pleasure to worth with, and don’t have the airs and graces of other sets.’
‘4 New Square have a strong sports set, with some impressive junior barristers who can support senior counsel or take on cases on their own.’
‘The are a very good set with some exceptional barristers and juniors.’
Work highlights
Littleton Chambers
Littleton Chambers demonstrates an ‘excellent range of work‘ in the sports field, which includes contractual, employment and FA Rule K disputes in football, while standing out for its work in the scope of discrimination and safeguarding investigations. For example, Mohinderpal Sethi KC is chair of the independent investigation, and Ashley Cukier a member of the investigation team, looking into allegations of unlawful discrimination at Yorkshire CCC. Paul Gilroy KC was instructed as an expert witness on English law in an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the dispute between the club and Nantes FC over the transfer of Emiliano Sala. David Reade KC is noted for his working relating to agency contracts disputes in football, and Lydia Banerjee is noted for her work in investigations by governing bodies regarding, among others, safeguarding and abuse.
Testimonials
‘Excellent clerks service – special mention for Ian Smethurst’
‘The clerks are first class: The Head Clerk Jason Drakeford is down to earth, practical and very commercial. George Shah is up and coming.’
‘Jason Drakeford is very helpful and responsive.’
‘The clerking is top notch and has made working on a large project with a number of barristers from Chambers very slick.’
‘Absolutely first class clerks who are always on top of their roles and carry out their services perfectly and efficiently. Always can be trusted to provide good recommendations and easy to communicate with.��
‘Very responsive, commercial and great client care skills.’
‘In my view, Littleton Chambers is the best sports Chambers around. It sports team can deal with all aspects of sports law in all sports fields’
‘Littleton is one of the premier sets for sports and employment work and offers outstanding value for money.’
Work highlights
39 Essex Chambers
39 Essex Chambers covers the full range of matters from the world of sports with members showing particular experience in the areas of safeguarding, anti-doping and other disciplinary proceedings as well as personal injury cases in the sports context. For example, Nina Goolamali KC continues to represent World Rugby in the ongoing concussion litigation. Katherine Apps KC, who took silk in 2023, was recently particularly active in relation to safeguarding matters, while Jonathan Bellamy was appointed vice chair of the English Football League’s club financial review panel and has been active in a variety of football matters, including breach of contract, player-agent disputes, club-club transfer disputes and image and data rights issues.
Testimonials
’39 Essex is building up a solid sports law practice – mostly in personal injury related matters.’
‘Great strength in depth & at silk level.’
‘Good sport focused webinar/seminar programme – impressive speakers.’
Work highlights
Monckton Chambers
Monckton Chambers has particular strengths in matters at the intersection of sport law with EU competition law, freedom of movement and cross-border trading. In the football matter RB Leipzig v Leeds United FC before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Paul Harris KC and Fiona Banks acted for Leeds in a fee dispute arising from the unprecedented extension to the loan of the striker Jean-Kevin Augustin from the Bundesliga club to England that occurred in the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and which raised important questions about the impact of the pandemic upon football contracts.
Work highlights
Blackstone Chambers
Testimonials
‘I always try and deal with Adam Sloane who is a first rate clerk. He is always available, easy to deal with and accommodating.’
‘The clerks at Blackstone are by far the best set we have worked with. Gary Oliver leads an outstanding team and is brilliant with clients and business development.’
‘Always a great service. Billy Brian is very responsive and always helpful.’
‘Derek Sutton will always make himself available, is extremely responsive and discreet where he needs to be.’
‘The clerks are always fantastically responsive and pragmatic, Adam Sloane in particular.’
‘Outstanding set with unrivalled strength in depth.’
‘Blackstone are the go to chambers for sports and other complex matters including competition law.’
‘The go-to set for sports law – unrivalled in this regard. A superb suite of counsel for cases of all types.’
Work highlights
4 New Square Chambers
4 New Square Chambers acts ‘at the top of the field on high-profile sports disputes‘, in particular representing national and international sports governing bodies. For example, Pippa Manby managed to prosecuted former Northampton Saints player Chris Mayor, who was banned for four years for trafficking human growth hormone, while Kendrah Potts acted as sole counsel to the ICC in bringing corruption charges against the former West Indies player Marlon Samuels. Potts also led William Harman for the International Tennis Integrity Agency, bringing 107 charges for match-fixing against six professional tennis players. Turning to defence work, Richard Liddell KC acted for race horse trainer Richard Hannon in a BHA case after a race horse’s urine sample was found to contain arsenic. Members of the set sit as well – Graeme McPherson KC chaired the determination of the EFL’s Financial Fair Play charges against Derby County FC.
Testimonials
‘Clerks coordinate very well. Dennis Peck, Alex Dolby and Jack Boggans are all truly great. ‘
‘The clerks are very helpful. Dennis Peck is particularly knowledgeable.’
‘Dennis Peck does a great job of staying close to the subject matter expertise of his sports members, and the set generally is up there with the best in terms of clerking.’
‘Dennis Peck and Andrew Call are particularly user friendly.’
‘The clerks are very professional and good to work with.’
‘A very strong set, who are commercial, a pleasure to worth with, and don’t have the airs and graces of other sets.’
‘4 New Square have a strong sports set, with some impressive junior barristers who can support senior counsel or take on cases on their own.’
‘The are a very good set with some exceptional barristers and juniors.’
Work highlights
Littleton Chambers
Littleton Chambers demonstrates an ‘excellent range of work‘ in the sports field, which includes contractual, employment and FA Rule K disputes in football, while standing out for its work in the scope of discrimination and safeguarding investigations. For example, Mohinderpal Sethi KC is chair of the independent investigation, and Ashley Cukier a member of the investigation team, looking into allegations of unlawful discrimination at Yorkshire CCC. Paul Gilroy KC was instructed as an expert witness on English law in an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the dispute between the club and Nantes FC over the transfer of Emiliano Sala. David Reade KC is noted for his working relating to agency contracts disputes in football, and Lydia Banerjee is noted for her work in investigations by governing bodies regarding, among others, safeguarding and abuse.
Testimonials
‘Excellent clerks service – special mention for Ian Smethurst’
‘The clerks are first class: The Head Clerk Jason Drakeford is down to earth, practical and very commercial. George Shah is up and coming.’
‘Jason Drakeford is very helpful and responsive.’
‘The clerking is top notch and has made working on a large project with a number of barristers from Chambers very slick.’
‘Absolutely first class clerks who are always on top of their roles and carry out their services perfectly and efficiently. Always can be trusted to provide good recommendations and easy to communicate with.��
‘Very responsive, commercial and great client care skills.’
‘In my view, Littleton Chambers is the best sports Chambers around. It sports team can deal with all aspects of sports law in all sports fields’
‘Littleton is one of the premier sets for sports and employment work and offers outstanding value for money.’
Work highlights
39 Essex Chambers
39 Essex Chambers covers the full range of matters from the world of sports with members showing particular experience in the areas of safeguarding, anti-doping and other disciplinary proceedings as well as personal injury cases in the sports context. For example, Nina Goolamali KC continues to represent World Rugby in the ongoing concussion litigation. Katherine Apps KC, who took silk in 2023, was recently particularly active in relation to safeguarding matters, while Jonathan Bellamy was appointed vice chair of the English Football League’s club financial review panel and has been active in a variety of football matters, including breach of contract, player-agent disputes, club-club transfer disputes and image and data rights issues.
Testimonials
’39 Essex is building up a solid sports law practice – mostly in personal injury related matters.’
‘Great strength in depth & at silk level.’
‘Good sport focused webinar/seminar programme – impressive speakers.’
Work highlights
Monckton Chambers
Monckton Chambers has particular strengths in matters at the intersection of sport law with EU competition law, freedom of movement and cross-border trading. In the football matter RB Leipzig v Leeds United FC before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Paul Harris KC and Fiona Banks acted for Leeds in a fee dispute arising from the unprecedented extension to the loan of the striker Jean-Kevin Augustin from the Bundesliga club to England that occurred in the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and which raised important questions about the impact of the pandemic upon football contracts.