Northridge Law LLP

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Sarah is a commercial litigator with a particular focus on the sports sector. Sarah works with governing bodies, clubs, players and other commercial parties in relation to litigation, arbitration, disciplinary and regulatory proceedings. Sarah also has experience in advising competition owners in respect of governance issues, financial regulation and licensing matters. Sarah is a key adviser to some of Northridge’s biggest clients, including The FA (having advised on the launch and subsequent restructures of The FA Women's Super League and Championship, amongst other things). Other work highlights include acting for a high profile European football club before FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport in respect of a claim under Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players as well as acting in respect of claims for training compensation before the FIFA bodies.

Tom advises clients in the sports and gambling sectors on commercial contracts and has expertise in advising on gambling regulatory matters. His recent highlights include advising Betway on a number of sponsorship matters and advising SportyStuff TV (the shareholders of which are the largest UK betting operators) on various commercial matters. Tom has also spent time on secondment to LIV Golf where he supported the significant expansion of its commercial operations.

James has for many years been a key advisor to governing bodies such as The FA, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and Premiership Rugby on a range of contentious and regulatory matters. In addition, James advises individuals and teams, regularly appearing before disciplinary panels, the High Court and the Court of Arbitration for Sport. His recent highlights include acting for the BHA on a series of high-profile anti-doping cases, advising Premiership Rugby on its investigation into Leicester Tigers for breaches of salary cap regulations (having previously led on the high-profile salary cap prosecution of Saracens) and advising Middlesbrough FC on their complex, and ground breaking, financial fair play arbitration proceedings against Derby County.

Jonathan is a commercial litigator who specialises in the sports sector. He is a trusted advisor to some of the biggest names in sport, with clients describing him as “technically excellent and extremely responsive” and as being “a superb litigator” and “one of the leading sports regulatory lawyers in the industry”. He has extensive experience of appearing before domestic arbitral tribunals, the Court of Arbitration for Sport and in proceedings before FIFA. He has been The FA’s primary advisor on contentious and regulatory matters for more than 15 years, undertaking a wide range of work from advising on the regulation of intermediaries through to advising The FA on the implications of the Government’s high-profile Fan-Led Review. Jonathan also acts for leading Premier League and European football clubs, the Welsh Rugby Union and Premiership Rugby.

Melanie is an experienced gambling regulatory lawyer, advising on all aspects of gambling law including licence applications, compliance, advertising, licence reviews and changes of control. She has acted for a wide range of gambling operators including major online and land-based bookmakers and casinos, B2B game and software suppliers and start-ups. She also frequently advises operators of raffles, prize competitions, free draws and social gaming products. Melanie’s recent highlights include advising Evolution Gaming on a restructuring of its UK gambling licences, advising on the regulatory aspects of the sale of Intouch Games and assisting a gambling operator through the Gambling Commission’s “Special Measures” process, resulting in a decision not to pursue a licence review. Melanie has a particular interest in the use of new technology for gambling products and novel product ideas. She is a regular contributor to industry publications such as iGaming Business, EGR and Casino & Gaming International and writes a monthly column for Casino International.

Jamie heads the firm’s employment practice, advising employer and individual clients on their most important contentious and non-contentious employment law issues. Jamie advises on the full spectrum of employment law matters, with considerable experience advising on complex discrimination issues, managing employees and advising on employee aspects of corporate transactions. He also advises on the drafting and negotiation of restraint of trade clauses and other contractual terms. Much of Jamie’s work is confidential, but his recent disclosable work highlights include advising Two Circles on the employment aspects of its joint venture with the European Tour and Ryder Cup; acting as trusted advisor to Betway on all its employment law and HR-related matters; advising The FA on the Women’s Super League and employment matters more generally; and advising Bandicoot TV on the employment aspects of The Masked Singer series. Jamie is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association. Jamie was also an Executive Trustee of Stonewall Football Club for 9 years, and has appeared across multiple media outlets to discuss the topic of discrimination in sports.

Oliver specialises in litigation and contentious regulatory matters, in particular for sports governing bodies. Oliver’s experience includes acting for the governing bodies of tennis (ITF, ATP, WTA and Grand Slams) in relation to an independent review of integrity in tennis and The FA in relation to an independent review of alleged non-recent child sexual abuse in football and concurrent civil claims. Oliver also has experience of working in house, having been on secondment at the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) as a Regulatory Legal Adviser where he was responsible for preparing and presenting the BHA’s case in respect of alleged breaches of the Rules of Racing. Oliver previously advised the BHA on a major re-write of the Rules of Racing (effective September 2019). His recent work highlights include acting for the BHA on its most high-profile disciplinary proceedings before its independent judicial panel, Sussex County Cricket Club in successfully reducing a sanction imposed on Sussex by the disciplinary body for the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following an allegation of ball-tampering, and an international rugby federation for various on-field disciplinary matters. Oliver takes a particular interest in issues related to sporting integrity and has written for LawInSport on the subject of how sports governing bodies and event organisers should regulate against competition manipulation. He also sits as an ‘arbitrator’ in the Sports Arbitration Moot, an annual sports law focussed mooting competition for law school students (organised in partnership with FIFA).

Mike advises clients on a wide range of corporate, commercial and financing matters in the sports and entertainment sectors. He has a particular focus on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, investment transactions and receivables financing. Mike also acts for clients in the sports industry on corporate governance issues and sponsorship arrangements. Recent work highlights include advising: Chelsea FC on its acquisition for £4.25 billion by the Boehly/Clearlake consortium; Michele Kang/YMK Holdings on the creation of the world’s first women’s football multi-club ownership structure; Elliott Advisors on the sale of AC Milan to Redbird Capital Partners; portfolio companies of Bruin Capital (Two Circles and TGI Sport) on their respective acquisitions of TRM Partners and ISG; the RFL on the restructure of the Super League; and The FA on governance matters. Mike regularly advises both clubs and lenders on financing work including on a range of receivables transactions in football. He also works with high-growth technology companies as part of the Northridge TRACK initiative and has particular experience acting for athlete investors participating in early stage fundraising rounds.

Ian’s practice spans a wide range of transactional and regulatory areas of sports law. His expertise includes the financial regulation of sport (including salary caps and financial fair play), mergers and acquisitions, financing, governance, integrity, rules and regulations, sponsorship agreements, player transfers, player contracts and image rights. He has a particular expertise in the use of data in the sports industry, has spoken widely on the subject, advises a number of companies in the area and sits on the board of STATSports as a non-executive director. Ian’s recent work highlights include advising Chelsea FC on its acquisition for £4.25 billion by the Boehly/Clearlake consortium, advising Spotify on its first-of-its-kind partnership with FC Barcelona and advising Elliott Advisors on the sale of AC Milan to Redbird Capital Partners for €1.2 billion.

Paul specialises in commercial and regulatory advice to clients in the sports and media sectors. Paul’s experience includes acting for athletes, brands and rights holders on sponsorship, licensing and merchandising programmes. He also regularly advises on governance issues and financial regulation in the sport and on player contracts, football transfers and image rights structures. In addition, Paul has particular experience in establishing new sports tournaments and competitions and advising on event hosting. Recent work highlights include advising on: Betway’s global sponsorship programme a variety of endorsement and commercial deals for Dele Alli, Neymar Jr., Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry; a range of sports marketing and merchandising matters for Puma; and various football transfers and contract negotiations.

Jon provides commercial and corporate advice to clients, with particular expertise on governance, corporate advice and commercial rights. Recent work highlights include acting for the Rugby Football League (RFL) on significant changes in the sport’s commercial, governance and strategic relationships, acting for long-standing client the WRU on a range of strategic projects, advising Bruin Capital on the acquisition of Interregional Sports Group (ISG), as well as supporting Betway, London Stadium and AEG Worldwide with their sponsorship programmes. He is also frequently involved with prominent governance mandates, including reforms for The FA, World Rugby and the RFL. Jon has a broad client base across the sports, leisure and technology sectors. He leads the innovative Northridge TRACK programme, acting for high growth technology businesses and participants in the sports and entertainment industry.

George is a commercial and data protection lawyer, specialising in contract and data privacy matters in the sport and technology sectors. He advises a range of clients, from high-growth companies (including as part of the Northridge TRACK initiative) or established technology providers, to rights holders and other institutional clients. He also has particular experience advising athletes, agencies, brands and rights holders on sponsorship and endorsement related agreements, such as his work advising Spotify on its deal with FC Barcelona and advising Betway on a number of its high value sponsorship agreements. George has spent time on secondment at The FA and at a prominent Premier League football club, where he advised on various technology, fan engagement, and sponsorship matters.