Stephen O'Flaherty > Lewis Silkin > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Lewis Silkin Offices
Arbor
255 Blackfriars Rd
LONDON
SE1 9AX
England
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Stephen O'Flaherty
Work Department
Employment, Immigration and Reward
Position
Partner
Career
Stephen is a Managing Associate working in the sport, fashion & entertainment and technology sectors.
Stephen advises sports clubs and agencies on the international transfer of players and coaches with a focus on football. He works closely with recruitment and analysis teams to review player’s eligibility for Governing Body Endorsements and advise on appeals where they do not meet the automatic criteria. He also advises on visa applications under Tier 5 and Tier 2 for players, coaches and their families. His recent work includes:
- Advising a football club on the recruitment and hire of a management team
- Acting for clubs on 8 GBE appeals in summer 2018, all successful
- Acting on the transfer of 12 players in Premier League and Championship during summer 2018
- Advising clubs on issues relating to ‘Professional Sports person’ and their recruitment at Academy level
- Advising clubs and providing training on the potential impacts of Brexit
Memberships
Stephen is a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association.
Education
Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts (2003) and a Bachelor of Laws (2008) awarded by National University of Ireland, Galway. Stephen qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2012 after completing the Legal Practice Course.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Employment > Immigration
(Next Generation Partners)Lewis Silkin has particular strength in the sport and creative industries, but has the capability to handle the full range of immigration issues for multinationals, start-ups, private, and HNW clients. Andrew Osborne deploys his significant immigration expertise as practice head, actively lobbying on behalf of clients and providing advice on strategic and complex immigration mandates. Naomi Hanrahan-Soar was promoted to partner in March 2023, and has a base in the science and technology sectors, with a track record advising both HNW individuals and corporate clients. Supinder Sian works with a number of major corporate clients in relation to UK inbound immigration, global mobility programs, and broader pan-European immigration matters, with niche expertise in the International Agreement contractual service supplier sponsorship. Stephen O’Flaherty assists numerous tech clients, but is primarily noted for his aptitude in handling the transfer of players and coaches in the sports industry.
London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
Lewis Silkin is praised by one client for its ‘particular, leading strength in brand protection in sport’. Practice co-chair Alex Kelham advises on an array of matters, ranging from contentious issues concerning both athletes and governing bodies, to IP and image rights agreements. Kelham co-heads the team with Jonathan Carr, who focuses on employment and contractual matters for household clubs from the worlds of football and rugby. Andrew Osborne is the team’s specialist sports immigration practitioner, while Stephen O’Flaherty notably advises football, cricket and rugby teams on recruitment and transfer of players and coaches. Deputy co-chair John Shea remains a key name to note.
Lawyer Rankings
- Immigration London > Employment
- Next Generation Partners London > Employment > Immigration
- Sport London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms)
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Employment > Employers
- Employment > Immigration
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Advertising & marketing
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Theatre, publishing and other media
- Employment > Senior executives
Firm Rankings
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Film & TV
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Music
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Video games
- Corporate and commercial > Partnership
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Industry focus > Hospitality and leisure
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > PATMA: Patent attorneys
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > PATMA: Trade mark attorneys
- Real estate > Property litigation
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Industry focus > Retail and consumer
- Real estate > Planning
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious)
- Corporate and commercial > Venture capital
- Industry focus > Life sciences and healthcare
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Franchising