England - London • TMT (technology, media and telecoms)
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Advising football teams and athletes across a range of sports - notably including sailing and yacht races - on brand protection, employment, reputational and commercial disputes and issues are routine instructions for Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP‘s sports team. Practice head Andrew Haywood focuses on employment and disciplinary issues, while Richard Marshall regularly works on contentious and contractual matters in football - often with a multijurisdictional aspect. Nick Humphreys is a key contact for managers, coaches and backroom staff in the football industry, undertaking matters pertaining to high court and employment tribunal litigations. James Severn and Jeremy Clarke-Williams are key names to note for agent-player disputes and defamation claims, respectively.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Nick Humphreys is a beacon of good sense and commercial nous in the world of sports law. The hardest working lawyer in London, he gets things done. Somehow he manages to be fun to work with too.’
‘PMC is a very strong sporting team - real depth of knowledge in manager disputes and football arbitration in particular. Very personable and commercially astute team too.’
‘Nick Humphreys is brilliant, a joy to work with. James Severn is incredibly hard-working, knows his stuff.'
'Andrew Haywood is an excellent employment law specialist, who majors on discrimination allegations in sport.'
'Richard Marshall is a hard-nosed commercial litigator who you want on your side.’
Key clients
- League Managers Association
- Emma Raducanu
- British Elite Athletes Association
- Mahindra Racing UK Limited (“Mahindra Racing”)
- Gordon Murray Group
- Sport Resolutions
- Katie McCabe (Arsenal and captain of the Republic of Ireland women's national football team)
- Carlos Ortiz-Patino (founders and previous owners of the Valderrama Group which owns the Valderrama golf course, Spain)
- Twelve Consultancy Group
- Players, staff and estates of the same of former employees of Associação Chapecoense de Futebol
- I Trust Sport
- Dominic Ball (football player)
- Grey Sports Group
- Rathbone Boxing Club
Work highlights
- Advised Dominic Ball on his transfer from Queens Park Rangers to Ipswich Town.
- Instructed to assist Emma Raducanu implement a global brand protection and enforcement programme across multiple continents.
- Acting for Brad Galinson in the majority share acquisition of Gillingham Football Club.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Andrew Haywood