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Sport

1
Blackstone Chambers
2
4 New Square
Littleton Chambers
3
39 Essex Chambers
Monckton Chambers

Leading Silks

1
Paul Gilroy KC – Littleton Chambers ‘Paul is a total streetfighter in terms of his advocacy and drafting. Anyone who has been on the other side of his cross examination will leave feeling bruised. He is meticulous in preparation and bludgeoning in delivery. His written work is very high quality, and he is a total team player.’
Paul Harris KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Paul is by a distance the best sports KC in the country. His deep industry knowledge allied with a market leading commercial and competition practice is unmatched.’
Adam Lewis KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘Adam is excellent and a go-to silk for sports work. He is bright and a great advocate, and as important, always puts the work in.’
Nick De Marco KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘Currently the leading KC dealing with football and regulatory matters - he has vast subject matter knowledge, is great on his feet, and very easy to work with.’  
Graeme McPherson KC – 4 New Square
John Mehrzad KC – Fountain Court Chambers 'He is impressive before sports tribunals.'
Ian Mill KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘A titan of advocacy who reduces witnesses to rubble.’
Jane Mulcahy KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘Her manner with clients is phenomenal and she builds trust in an instant.’
Daniel Saoul KC – 4 New Square ‘Superb on the detail. Good rapport with judges. Makes clear and forceful submissions.’
2
Kate Gallafent KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘Kate is superior in this area of practice. She is an absolute class act and a formidable advocate. She is very user-friendly, and client focused. She always offers sound advice and navigates complex matters with ease and skill. She is simply astounding.’
Nina Goolamali KC – 39 Essex Chambers ‘Nina is rightly established as a leading name in this field arising from her powerful advocacy, incisive eye for detail. She is a brilliant strategist. She is first class at client care and builds trust and rapport through the integrity of her first in class skills in this area.' 
Andrew Hunter KC –Blackstone Chambers
Schona Jolly KC – Cloisters ‘Schona is a delight to work with and on the top of her game. She is able to balance compassion and care with fearless advocacy. She gets to the core of an issue quickly and leads with unparalleled expertise in this area.’
Richard Liddell KC – 4 New Square ‘Incredibly responsive and a fantastic team player. Rick is a naturally gifted advocate with incisive cross examination and persuasive submissions. He is particularly effective when cross examining experts on highly technical scientific issues because of his quick grasp of these issues. Rick is also a brilliant strategist with an eye for the killer point that makes the difference.’
Thomas de la Mare KC –Blackstone Chambers ‘Best in the business for competition law issues in sport.’
Mark Phillips KC – South Square 'Mark is absolutely fantastic. His dedication to a case is unmatched, his brilliance, his analytical skills and - above all - his cross-examination qualities. There is no one who can match Mark on these points.'
David Reade KC – Littleton Chambers ‘An absolutely superb all-rounder. Highly personable - the clients love him. Unmatched advocacy strategy skills. Great on paper. Will always achieve the best possible result for the client.’
James Segan KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘Phenomenal intellect, excellent on his feet, fantastic with clients – good clear advice without flannel. A delight to work with.’
Jim Sturman KC –2 Bedford Row ‘Jim is very straightforward and easy to work with. His experience and strategic thinking bring reassurance to others working on matters. He is able to quickly identify the key issues in a dispute and develop a case around them. He can adapt his advocacy style as appropriate to the matter at hand.’
3
William Audland KC – 12 King’s Bench Walk ‘He is just excellent – definite in his views, he has weight and huge authority, and he is hugely admired and appreciated by his clients. His advocacy is superb – careful, again weighty in his approach with real persuasive authority.’
Neil Block KC – 39 Essex Chambers 'Neil is an excellent silk and always provides wise counsel. He is always available and is ability to work under pressure is phenomenal.'
Marie Demetriou KC – Brick Court Chambers ‘Marie combines encyclopaedic expertise with an ability to convey complex concepts in the clearest possible terms. As a result, her advocacy, and advice to clients, is always crystal clear and her logic infallible.’
Philip Evans KC – QEB Hollis Whiteman
Sean Jones KC – 11KBW ‘Sean is exceptional at every level, whether it is in relation to drafting, advocacy or client interaction. His cross-examination is so good, that it is sometimes simply not possible to see where Sean is taking a point until he arrives at the destination. He is the complete package.’
Phillip Marshall KC - Serle Court
Lord Pannick KC – Blackstone Chambers
Mohinderpal Sethi KC – Littleton Chambers ‘Deftly handling the most difficult of clients, Mo is persuasive and extremely bright. A go-to for tricksy matters: those that call for someone eminent, but who is also personable.’
Victoria Wakefield KC – Brick Court Chambers ‘Victoria is an expert and experienced competition lawyer and she has intimate knowledge of how competition law applies in the sports sector. Since competition law, and the nuances of how it interacts with sport, are increasingly determinative of sports disputes, this is an essential knowledge to have as a sports lawyer. Victoria combines this expertise with great advocacy and an ease of manner that is extremely effective.'

2023 Silks

Katherine Apps KC – 39 Essex Chambers ‘Academically very strong - exceptional knowledge of the subject area.’
Tom Richards KC – Blackstone Chambers ‘Tom is extraordinarily clever and precise. He is calm under pressure and his advocacy style is persuasive, extremely clear, and robust.’

Leading Juniors

1
Lydia Banerjee – Littleton Chambers ‘A superb advocate, very sharp, and an outstanding leader for heavyweight sport employment disputes.'
Fiona Banks – Monckton Chambers 'Incredibly thorough - excellent written work and a delight to work with.'
Pippa Manby – 4 New Square ‘Pippa is easy to work with and her advocacy is of the highest standard. With tricky cross examination you get an incisive edge. Pippa also has great commercial awareness and understood our case from the perspective of a sporting regulator.’
Ravi Mehta – Blackstone Chambers ‘Incredibly bright but wears the intelligence lightly with a very relaxed and relaxing manner. He is an absolute gent and very responsive - an instructing solicitor's dream.’
Tom Mountford – Blackstone Chambers ‘Tom is undoubtedly one of the most notable up and coming juniors practising at the sports Bar. He is adept at identifying the key issues in any case and focusing on them in both written advice and submission and orally. His advocacy style is calm and persuasive, backed been a forensic analysis of the evidence. He is also very astute in his tactical advice and has a very calm understated manner in dealing with clients.’
Sam Neaman – Littleton Chambers ‘Extremely knowledgeable in the area of sports law and boxing regulations and procedure in particular. Extremely hard-working and totally committed barrister who always puts the client’s interests first. Advocacy skills are excellent. Extremely persuasive advocate. Arguments and submissions always beautifully constructed and well thought-out.’
Kendrah Potts – 4 New Square ‘Kendrah is a very experienced sports lawyer, with a significant amount of experience in sports corruption cases in a number of different sports. This breadth of experience means that she is able to use experiences obtained in one sport and apply that to similar situations in another. Kendrah is very easy to work with, she is precise, consistent and her attention to detail is top-notch.’
2
Jonathan Bellamy – 39 Essex Chambers
Luka Krsljanin – Blackstone Chambers ‘Luka is calm under pressure, has an excellent rapport with experts and witnesses and a tremendous command of the case.’
Ifeanyi Odogwu – Matrix Chambers ‘Ife has gone from being a very experienced member of sports disciplinary bodies to now developing an excellent specialist junior counsel's practice in the area.’
Zac Sammour – 11KBW ‘Zac is a go-to for sports work, not least his skillset within the fields of employment, data protection and litigation. Very easy to work with, client friendly and helps clients to navigate choppy waters. Extremely bright and outshines a lot of more senior barristers. Diligent, always thoroughly prepared, he wipes the floor with his opponents. Zac is a brilliant tactician and works seamlessly with solicitor teams to provide timely pragmatic and commercial advice.’
Louis Weston –Outer Temple Chambers ‘Louis is able to draw on vast experience in sports regulatory matters, particularly in relation to serious misconduct. His experience in criminal law is valuable in dealing with the most serious cases, while his mix of work as an advocate and arbitrator gives him a broad perspective on case strategy.’
3
Max Baines – Red Lion Chambers ‘Max is superb all-round. Sound, concise advice, excellent written work, authoritative before a court or tribunal and seriously effective cross-examination.’
Theo Barclay  – 4 New Square ‘Highly responsive and engaged. Provides sound advice and has a fantastic understanding of the nuances of sports law.’
Ashley Cukier – Littleton Chambers ‘Ashley is measured and persuasive. He reads the panel well and he pitches it perfectly. In terms of football, he knows the regs inside out.‘
Craig Harris – Furnival Chambers
Maurice Holmes – Crown Office Chambers ‘Maurice has a forensic mind, indefatigable work ethic, and leaves no stone unturned. He is one of the go-to juniors at the sports law Bar. He is one of the few barristers in the country who has real, on the ground knowledge of the sports sector having been a professional cricketer.’
Celia Rooney –Blackstone Chambers ‘Celia is a go-to barrister in the field of sport. She is down to earth, a great communicator and client-centric. These are critical qualities in any barrister but especially in her fields of work. The quality of her written work and advocacy is the cherry on the top.’
Shane Sibbel –Blackstone Chambers ‘Shane is tenacious and unafraid and an incredible issue-spotter and problem-solver. He has the ear of the court.’
Andrew Smith – 11KBW ‘Very friendly, approachable and happy to help. Quickly grasped the complexity of the case but, rather than drowning in the legal issues, his advice was always very straightforward with a strong emphasis on the best commercial approach for the client.’
4
Grahame Anderson – Littleton Chambers ‘Grahame is calm and excellent with clients. He adopts a commercial approach, which clients often find helpful.’
Stuart Benzie – Radcliffe Chambers
Grace Cheng – 39 Essex Chambers
William Clerk  – 2 Temple Gardens ‘Will has an excellent knowledge of the insurance and commercial issues arising in the sports sector. He is particularly sought after in motor, rugby and football cases on behalf of respondents. He combines first class legal knowledge with sophisticated strategic insights, which means that he is always in demand in sensitive and complex cases.‘
Stephen Flynn – 2 Temple Gardens ‘Steven’s ability to get straight to the nub of the legal issues is impressive, as is his advice that actually delivers advice, rather than sitting on the fence. He is excellent at cross-examination.’
Amina Graham – 2 Hare Court ‘Unrivalled knowledge of her field and a hugely impressive advocate – likeable, tough, hugely respectable and unflappable.’
William Harman – 4 New Square ‘Will is a brilliant junior. Very easy to work with and has an easy, persuasive drafting style.’
Hollie Higgins – Blackstone Chambers ‘Hollie is a genius and possibly one of the most gifted barristers - she is able to grasp and articulate arguments with consummate ease.’ 
Thomas Horton  – 3 Hare Court ‘Thomas is really making a name for himself in the sports sector and building a strong profile. His knowledge of the sector is superb, as is his attention to detail. He’s a strong advocate.’
Diarmuid Laffan – 4 New Square ‘Quick to pick up the key issues and facts, Dairmuid has strong cross-examination skills - firm and coherent oral submissions with an understated authority.’
Alexandra Littlewood – Monckton Chambers
David Lowe – Blackstone Chambers ‘A go to sports disputes junior and genuine subject matter expert, whilst also being extremely user friendly.’
Will Martin – 2 Hare Court ‘Will is an excellent advocate, in football related matters ahead of many silks.’
Jessica van der Meer  – 2 Temple Gardens ‘Jessica is a rising star of the sports law Bar. She is extremely diligent and committed to every case. She always goes the extra-mile for her clients.’
Yasin Patel –Church Court Chambers ‘Yasin is very good at simplifying the complex legal issues at hand in negotiations and provides a strong excellent legal context to our commercial affairs. His negotiating skills are impressive as he can achieve many concessions on our behalf despite a very obvious power imbalance between the negotiating parties, with us being in the weaker position.’
Jason Pobjoy – Blackstone Chambers ‘Jason is an outstanding lawyer and advocate, and he brings an intimate knowledge of competition law and public law principles, and a preparedness to innovate, to complex sports litigation, which increasingly turns - by application or by analogy - on these principles. He is incredibly hard working and legally brilliant, which is a formidable combination in terms of preparation, but in addition to that he is superb on his feet and in cross examination.’
Sebastian Purnell –Devereux ‘Sebastian exudes gravitas and is extremely clever. He is head and shoulders above many barristers more senior than him in terms of strategic judgement, preparation, and persuasiveness.’
Max Shephard – 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square ‘Clear analysis and articulation of details. Professional and measured.’
Natasha Simonsen –Blackstone Chambers ‘Natasha is clever, straightforward, persuasive, and a pleasure to deal with. Judges trust her and she has the advocate's skill of making everything she says appear obvious and impossible to rebut.’
Adam Taylor – Crown Office Chambers ‘Adam's technical mastery of the anti-doping rules allied with his incisive cross-examination and persuasive advocacy are a truly potent combination. He has a remarkable track record of success. He is also very accessible and extremely hard-working.’
Spencer Turner  – 12 King's Bench Walk ‘Spencer has a growing reputation in sports insurance, sports injury and sports disputes..’
Joel Wallace – Littleton Chambers ‘Joel is very tenacious, bright, personable and pragmatic. He is excellent on his feet and equally strong when in negotiations with his opponents.’

Rising Stars

Samuel Cuthbert – 4 New Square Chambers  ‘Sam is an outstanding and persuasive advocate. His knowledge of the law and the detail of each case is comprehensive, and means he can run rings around the opposition. He has strategic insight far beyond his year of call.’

Sport in London Bar

Blackstone Chambers


Labelled as the ‘go to set for football regulatory matters’, Blackstone Chambers has extensive expertise in sports body governance and all aspects of the commercialisation of sport. The set represents a broad range of domestic and global governing bodies, sporting individuals, alongside high-profile football clubs. As evidenced by Adam Lewis KC acting for the Premier League in its ongoing dispute with Manchester City in relation to alleged breaches of the league’s financial regulations, while Nick De Marco KC currently represents various Premier League clubs with respect to potential claims they have against Everton FC, arising out of Everton’s breaches of league financial spending rules. Luka Krsljanin is representing FIFA in cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport concerning new regulations imposed on football agents.

Testimonials

‘The clerks are always helpful, and are willing to help even at incredibly short notice.’

‘Exceptional service from the clerks at Blackstone. Derek Sutton in particular is incredible – always very responsive and efficient.’

‘Very good, Adam Sloane always a pleasure.’

‘Blackstone Chambers would be my go-to set for football regulatory matters, with strength from the silks to the juniors.’ 

‘Blackstone are arguably the leading sports set. They have incredible strength in depth.’ 

‘Top set in the country for sports disputes and sports regulatory cases.’

‘Blackstone is a very strong sports law set with other notable practitioners including leading experts.’

‘Very prompt and professional.’

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4 New Square Chambers


Fielding ‘excellent barristers’, 4 New Square Chambers has vast experience in football and horse racing disputes, regularly appearing in courts, specialist tribunals, and arbitrations. The set regularly acts for sports governing bodies and Premier League football clubs, showcased by Graeme McPherson KC chairing disciplinary hearings in respect of charges against various Premier League and EFL football clubs over misconduct. Richard Liddell KC has in-depth expertise in anti-doping cases such as representing the International Tennis Integrity Agency in a case resulting in a four-year ban of former world number one Simona Halep, whilst Kendrah Potts is acting for Crystal Palace in its defence of a misconduct charge against the Premier League arising due to financial misconduct. Additionally, Pippa Manby represents Cardiff City in an appeal against the EFL’s imposition of a transfer ban, and Theo Barclay is acting for Matchroom Sport in a claim against Boxxer over an alleged contractual breach.

Testimonials

‘Dennis Peck has been a valuable help and is responsive, professional and personable.’

‘Very user friendly and responsive. Worked closely with James Barrass who has been very helpful.’

‘Very responsive and effective clerking. They know their product very well and are commercial and flexible on pricing. Alex Dolby and Christopher Ebdon are our main contacts and are great to deal with.’

‘4NS has good strength in depth for sports work, particularly at the senior end. The chambers are also good at finding keen and available barristers for urgent work when needed.’

‘A brilliant set. We have instructed them on both sports and general commercial disputes. There is a great breadth of experience across the set.’

‘4NS are one of the leading sports set with some real heavy hitters.’

‘4NS has good strength in depth for sports work, particularly at the senior end. The chambers are also good at finding keen and available barristers for urgent work when needed.’

 

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Littleton Chambers


Hailed as being ‘top drawer for sport and employment’, Littleton Chambers demonstrates genuine insight into commercial, investigatory, and regulatory matters within the sporting field, frequently acting for high-profile football managers and athletes. Paul Gilroy KC is an employment law specialist, acting for cricketer Darren Gough in a dispute with Yorkshire CCC, as well as representing Neil Warnock in the termination of his contract with Aberdeen. Ashley Cukier acts for Yorkshire CCC in its investigation of allegations of racist discrimination and harassment brought by Azeem Rafiq, while Mohinderpal Sethi KC has been appointed by British Gymnastics to lead independent investigations into allegations of abuse and safeguarding breaches by former Olympians. David Reade KC has expertise in defamation and breach of confidence claims, primarily in the football arena.

Testimonials

‘Jason Drakeford is fabulous. Calm and a great manager.’

‘Excellent – Ian Smethurst is great.’

‘Mark Burden and Olivia Wallis are deserving of particular mention.’

‘Littleton is a very strong set for sports instructions especially now at the junior end. They provide seminars to our team on a regular basis which are useful training and knowledge sharing opportunities.’

‘In my view, the now leading set in sports law. A superb lineup of top KCs who practice sports law.’

‘One of the, if not the, best chambers for this area of law.’

‘Top drawer for employment and sport.’

‘Highly supportive and always part of the team. Will go overboard to keep the solicitors happy.’

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39 Essex Chambers


39 Essex Chambers offers a multi-disciplinary approach, with specific expertise in commercial disputes, anti-doping, and disciplinary matters. The set has in-depth experience of acting for major clients in football, rugby, and horse racing, as underlined by Nina Goolamali KC acting for World Rugby in the ongoing litigation surrounding concussions in rugby. Katherine Apps KC is representing the International Tennis Integrity Agency in an anti-doping case concerning Sydney Dorcil, who received a four-year doping ban after testing positive for boldenone, whilst Jonathan Bellamy is highly regarded for his knowledge in disciplinary proceedings, primarily in the field of football.

Testimonials

‘The sports law group in chambers comprises a strong offering of counsel and arbitrators in the sports sector. More generally, 39 Essex Chambers is one of the leading commercial, construction and public law chambers in the country.’ 

’39 Essex is very strong in public law and related issues in particular.’

‘A good, varied set with some leading silks.’

‘Reliable and responsive.’

‘A very helpful team who always find solutions.’

‘Clerks unfailingly helpful.’

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Monckton Chambers


Specialising in the overlap between sports law and all aspects of commercial EU and competition law, Monckton Chambers has experience in sporting disputes before a range of fora. Fiona Banks routinely acts on behalf of national sports governing bodies and Premier League clubs, as showcased by her representation of Leeds United in a dispute over a transfer fee for Jean-Kevin Augustin. Paul Harris KC acts for Jürgen Klopp in an appeal brought by The FA against the leniency of a touchline ban, while Alexandra Littlewood is an expert on regulatory matters, regularly acting for Formula One teams and the EFL.

Work highlights