Gateley Legal advises on brand licensing, sponsorship and commercial contracts, with a strong focus on the football industry. The practice is led by Nick Murrills, a litigation partner with experience in High Court and international sports disputes. The team acts for Premier League clubs, governing bodies, and high-profile individuals on regulatory, anti-doping, and policy review matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Gateley have supported us through with a number of issues across commercial, IP. They are able to direct us to specialists in the team either at Manchester or at other offices who can provide outstanding support swiftly and with excellent legal knowledge.'
Key clients
- NOQ Events Limited
- The Royal Birkdale Golf Club
- British Amateur Boxing Association Limited
- City Football Group
- Aguila Sport UK Limited
- Newcastle United
- Sport and Recreation Alliance
- British Skateboarding
- Reading FC
- Commonwealth Games
- Racecraft Motorsport Promotion Limited
- World Sports Buddy Limited
- FGX Sports Limited
- Ice Hockey UK
- Notts County FC
- West Ham United
- International Netball Federation
- Supporters Direct (now Football Supporters Association)
- Brighton and Hove Albion
- ADI.tv
Work highlights
Advised Newcastle United on all aspects of its brand protection, from securing trade mark applications to protecting new commercial opportunities such as NFTs and trading in the metaverse, to working with law enforcement agencies to enforce its intellectual property rights against the sale of counterfeits.
Advised City Football Group on an outsourcing arrangement to provide legal services on an ongoing basis, including providing a permanent secondee, particularly in relation to sponsorship agreements international licensing, sponsorship, and facility agreements.
Providing Badminton England with full-service legal and advice and support.
Practice head
Nick Murrills