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Sarah is a commercial litigator with a particular focus on the sports sector, especially women’s sport. 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. Before joining Northridge, Sarah worked for The FA where she advised on all aspects of The FA’s legal and governance work. In particular, Sarah was heavily involved in the restructure of the women’s game and the establishment of the new FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship. Since joining Northridge, Sarah has continued to advise The FA on various matters relating to the women’s game, including the transition of the top two tiers of women’s football from The FA to a Premier League-style club shareholder structure.

Tom advises clients in the sports and gambling sectors on commercial contracts and has expertise in advising on gambling regulatory matters. Tom qualified at a leading UK firm and during his training spent time on secondment at The Mill (an Oscar winning visual effects company). He then moved in-house to Betgenius (now Genius Sports – a leading provider in the sports/ sports betting sector) before taking a role at a law firm which advised clients in the leisure sector (including sports betting operators). Tom has advised gambling operators, sports governing bodies, sports clubs and TV production companies and has been seconded to LIV Golf.

James is a commercial litigator with a focus on the sports sector. He is a key advisor to many household names in sport, including The FA, the British Horseracing Authority and Premiership Rugby, on a range of contentious and regulatory matters. In addition, he advises teams and individuals such as Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden, regularly appearing before disciplinary panels, the High Court and the Court of Arbitration for Sport. James has particular experience in sporting investigations. His recent highlights include advising Premiership Rugby on a wide range of matters, including the creation and implementation of the Financial Monitoring Panel and the co-creation of a new Men’s Professional Game Partnership, as well as acting for Newcastle United FC on proceedings commenced in the Competition Appeal Tribunal by Sports Direct.

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 17 years, undertaking a wide range of work from advising on the regulation of intermediaries through to acting for The FA in its successful defence of expedited arbitral proceedings brought by Norwich City and arbitration proceedings commenced by Nottingham Forest FC. Jonathan also acts for leading Premier League and European football clubs, the Welsh Rugby Union and Premiership Rugby.

Melanie is a gambling regulatory lawyer, advising on all aspects of gambling law including licence applications, compliance, advertising, licence reviews and changes of control. Melanie 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 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, writes a monthly column for Casino International and often speaks at industry events.

Jamie heads the firm’s employment practice, advising employer and individual clients on their most important contentious and non-contentious employment law issues. Alongside Jamie’s sport specific practice, Jamie advises on the full spectrum of employment law matters, with considerable experience advising on complex discrimination issues, managing senior executives and employees and advising on the employment 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 Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy and Kolo Toure on their respective managerial/coach appointments; advising The FA on (i) the transfer of its ownership of women’s professional football and (ii) the introduction of a new standard form non-league playing contract in the men’s game; advising StatsBomb on the employment aspects of its sale to Hudl; and acting as trusted advisor to Betway on all its employment law and HR-related matters. Jamie is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association. Jamie was also an Executive Trustee of Stonewall Football Club for 9 years, and has previously appeared across multiple media outlets to discuss the topic of discrimination in sports.

Oliver specialises in litigation, as well as advisory and contentious regulatory matters, for the sports sector. Oliver’s recent experience includes acting for (i) The FA on the transfer of its ownership of the top two tier’s of women’s professional football in England to a new independent company (Women’s Professional Leagues Limited), (ii) Premiership Rugby (PRL) on the implementation of an independent Financial Monitoring Panel and associated regulations to monitor clubs’ financial stability, (iii) the Premier League to investigate the moves of young players between club academies, and (iv) an international rugby federation for various on-field disciplinary matters. Other career highlights have included acting for the international governing bodies of tennis in relation to an independent review of integrity in tennis, The FA in relation to an independent review of alleged non-recent child sexual abuse in football and concurrent civil claims, and Sussex County Cricket Club in successfully reducing a sanction imposed by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) following an allegation of ball-tampering. Oliver 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 has advised the BHA on a major re-write of the Rules of Racing and he continues to advise the BHA on significant disciplinary proceedings before the BHA’s independent judicial panel. 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’ for the Sports Arbitration Moot, an annual sports law focussed mooting competition for law school students (organised in partnership with FIFA and various other stakeholders in sport).

Mike advises clients on a wide range of corporate, financing and commercial 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: Blue Heaven Holdings on an agreement to sell its majority shareholding in Everton Football Club to The Friedkin Group. The Founders of StatsBomb, a global sports data and analytics business, on the sale of the company to Hudl. The FA on the transfer of its ownership and operation of the women’s professional game. Atairos on acquiring a minority stake in the holding vehicle of Aston Villa. Michele Kang on the creation of the world’s first women’s football multi-club ownership platform. Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas on their equity arrangements in Como 1907. Chelsea FC on its acquisition for £4.25 billion by the Boehly/Clearlake consortium. 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 Welsh Rugby Union on its Professional Rugby Agreement with the regional teams. A number of financial institutions on the purchase of transfer fee receivables in European 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. Ian’s recent work highlights include advising: Blue Heaven Holdings on the sale of Everton FC to The Friedkin Group; Red Bull on its investment in Leeds United FC; Atairos on its investment in Aston Villa FC; Michele Kang on her acquisition of London City Lionesses; Al Nassr on the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo; Chelsea FC on its acquisition by the Boehly/Clearlake consortium; Elliott on the sale of AC Milan; and Spotify on its partnership with FC Barcelona. Ian is a contributing author to a number of leading textbooks including “Sport: Law and Practice”, “Football and the Law” and “The Negotiator’s Desk Reference”. He regularly speaks at conferences (including previous MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conferences) and lectures on a number of undergraduate and postgraduate university programmes.

Will is a contentious and regulatory lawyer, specialising in disputes, investigations, and regulatory and safeguarding matters in sport. He advises a wide range of household names within the sports sector – from individuals to clubs to governing bodies. He has extensive experience across the English civil court system and sports judicial bodies, representing clients in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, before the judicial panels of FIFA, UEFA, The FA and the Premier League, as well as at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). He is also a qualified Solicitor Advocate, having obtained his Higher Rights of Audience in 2015. Will’s recent work highlights include: representing a number of Premier League and Football League clubs in proceedings before the Professional Football Compensation Committee; advising multiple sports governing bodies on the development and implementation of their regulatory frameworks; acting for a leading global media rights agency in a dispute before CAS; advising the Premier League on its ‘five-step’ investigations into academy player moves; and acting for an international rugby federation regarding on-field disciplinary matters.

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 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: The FA on the transfer of its ownership of the top two tiers of women’s professional football in England to a new independent company, Women’s Professional Leagues Limited; Newcastle United FC on its sponsorship and merchandising agreement with adidas; Betway’s global sponsorship programme; a variety of endorsement and commercial deals for high-profile footballers and sports stars; a range of sports marketing and merchandising matters for Puma (including its deal with F1); and various football transfers and contract negotiations.

Jon provides commercial and corporate advice to clients. He is recognised by the directories as a “real go-to adviser” and a “commercial and regulatory expert”, with particular expertise on governance, corporate advice and commercial rights. Recent work highlights include acting for Yorkshire County Cricket Club on the sale of its Hundred franchise to the Sun Group, Mercury13 on its acquisition of a significant majority stake in Bristol City Women and Betway on its global partnerships with Arsenal, Manchester City and Williams F1. He is also frequently involved with prominent governance mandates, including reforms and stakeholder agreements for The FA, World Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union. 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, with a focus in the sport and technology sectors. He advises clients across sport on commercial contract matters, including sponsorship (such as his work advising Spotify on its deal with FC Barcelona), athlete endorsement, and venue hire. On the technology side, he advises technology providers (including high-growth companies as part of the Northridge TRACK initiative) and customers on technology procurement and implementation matters. 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.