England - North West • TMT (technology, media and telecoms)
Mills & Reeve LLP
Mills & Reeve LLP is known representing top footballers, with standout clients including Kevin De Bruyne, Leah Williamson and Kieran Trippier. The firm assists in managing investments and sponsorship deals for these players. The practice also has a broader range of expertise across sports including horse racing, Rugby League and cycling; assisting with transfers of commercial rights, facility redevelopments, disputes and more. The team is jointly led by the ‘innovative and committed’ Carol Couse, a sports specialist commercial ADR expert, and Mark Hovell, an experienced arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Sarah Whyman, a sports data protection expert, and experienced employment lawyer Richard Barker are also integral. Associate Rustam Sethna is ‘extremely hard-working’ and stands out for his expertise in cross-border sports litigation in areas ranging from football to sailing.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Very knowledgeable lawyers, both partners and associates, with huge experience of sports work.’
- 'Carol Couse is an innovative and committed partner. Handles both litigation and non-contentious work. Also a mediator.'
‘Excellent commitment to their clients; highly knowledgeable.’
‘Carol Couse has in-depth knowledge of the sports industry. Mark Hovell- extremely highly regarded both for his work as a CAS arbitrator and hugely knowledgeable. Rustam Sethna is an extremely hard-working associate with excellent attention to detail.’
‘The team is incredibly strong. There is nothing that they won't have encountered before. They are able to bring together a level of expertise matched by only a few other teams, either nationally or internationally.’
‘Phil Hutchinson is a brilliant sports lawyer. He understands the landscape like few others. He is able to identify both legal and commercial weaknesses in an opponents case like very few others, and has the ability to utilise this to his client's benefit. Phil is particularly strong in relation to betting related regulatory offences and employment issues.
- 'Mark Hovell is a thought leader in the sports law sector. He is at the forefront of sports law developments, and is the person you want if you have a novel problem or are looking for guidance on the future development of the sector.’
Key clients
- UK Sport
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Diogo Jota
- Super League
- Jockey World Championships
- British Cycling
- Divock Origi
- Lucy Bronze
- James Milner
- Kieran Trippier
- Leah Williamson
- Court of Arbitration for Sport / Sport Resolutions
- Professional Cricketers’ Association
- Rangers Football Club / Burnley Football Club
- Cambridge United Football Club / Norwich City Football Club
- Podium Analytics /Eleven Sport
- Rogon Football Agency
Lawyers
Rising stars
Leading individuals
Mills & Reeve LLP
Mark’s role as an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the last couple of decades has seen him involved in some high-profile cases, including his appointment to the 2016 Olympic ad hoc Division in Rio. He has now been involved in over 300 arbitrations. Mark was also re-appointed as an arbitrator on the Sport Resolutions Panel (Chairpersons List) in 2021 and is also a member of the National Anti-doping Panel. Mark continues to advise various sports union organisations including The Professional Footballers’ Association, The PGA and The Professional Players Federation. Mark has also represented a number of clubs, leagues and Governing bodies. He represents a number of high-profile sport and entertainment clients in negotiations relating to their image rights and marketability. Mark is a qualified insolvency practitioner and has been involved in over 60 formal and informal professional football, rugby and rugby league club insolvencies, including Portsmouth FC in 2010 and 2012. Mark was awarded the title Partner of the Year at the 2013 Manchester Legal Awards and received a special recognition award at the 2013 NW Football Awards. More recently he was the WWL International Sports lawyer of the Year in 2020. He is a lecturer/visiting professor on Sports Law and finance at numerous Universities and colleges around the world.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Carol Couse, Mark Hovell