Sarah is a commercial litigator with a particular focus on the sports sector. 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.  She is recognised as a ‘Key Lawyer’ in the Legal 500 for Sport.

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 act for The FA, having recently advised The FA in respect of the termination of the 2019/20 football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sarah has also become a trusted adviser to some of Northridge’s biggest clients. Her recent work highlights include acting for a high profile European football club before FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport in respect of a claim under Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players as well as acting in respect of claims for training compensation before the FIFA bodies.

Sarah has completed the BASL/De Montfort Law School Diploma in Sports Law and Practice and the UEFA/Université de Lausanne Certificate in Football Management, both with distinction.

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 (BHA) 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 acting for the BHA on a series of high-profile anti-doping cases, advising Premiership Rugby on its investigation into Leicester Tigers for breaches of salary cap regulations (having previously led on the high-profile salary cap prosecution of Saracens) and advising Middlesbrough FC on their complex, and ground breaking, financial fair play arbitration proceedings against Derby County.

Away from sport, James’ experience of the gambling sector includes the regulation and licensing of casinos, the Gambling Act 2005 and acting in contentious matters for and against bookmakers.

James listed as a Leading Individual in the Legal 500 for sport, is ranked Band 3 in Chambers and is recognised in International Who’s Who of Sports & Entertainment Lawyers. The directories describe him as “an expert in his field”, “impressive” and “an incredibly astute and skilled lawyer”.

James lectures on the BASL/DMU postgraduate certificate in sports law and is a contributing author to “Sport: Law and Practice”, “Football and the Law” and the England & Wales chapter of The Sports Law Review.

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 15 years, undertaking a wide range of work from advising on the regulation of intermediaries through to advising The FA on the implications of the Government’s high-profile Fan-Led Review. Jonathan also acts for leading Premier League and European football clubs, the Welsh Rugby Union and Premiership Rugby.

Jonathan is ranked as a leading individual by Chambers (Band 1) and is listed in the Legal 500’s “Hall of Fame”. The directories describe him as being “lauded by clients as ‘the absolute go-to person on regulatory matters’” and as being “the football litigator par excellence”. He is also ranked in the International Who’s Who of Sports & Entertainment Lawyers and has featured in profiles written by The Lawyer, the Times and Sport Business. Jonathan is a lecturer on the BASL/DMU Postgraduate Certificate in Sports Law and is a contributing author to “Sport: Law and Practice” and “Football and the Law”.

Melanie is a gambling regulatory lawyer, advising on all aspects of gambling law including licence applications, compliance, advertising, licence reviews and changes of control.  She is described in the legal directories as “a very impressive lawyer” who “demonstrates commercial pragmatism supported with a great deal of technical and operational knowledge and experience”.

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.  Melanie is listed as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ in the Legal 500 and is also ranked in Chambers.

Jamie heads the firm’s employment practice, advising employer and individual clients on their most important contentious and non-contentious employment law issues. Jamie is recognised in Legal 500 as a “Key Lawyer” across multiple sectors and as a “stand-out individual” that is “highly capable, strategic and commercially minded”.

Jamie advises on the full spectrum of employment law matters, with considerable experience advising on complex discrimination issues, managing employees and advising on employee 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 Two Circles on the employment aspects of its joint venture with the European Tour and Ryder Cup; acting as trusted advisor to Betway on all its employment law and HR-related matters; advising The FA on the Women’s Super League and employment matters more generally; and advising Bandicoot TV on the employment aspects of The Masked Singer series.

Jamie is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association. Jamie was also an Executive Trustee of Stonewall Football Club for 9 years, and has appeared across multiple media outlets to discuss the topic of discrimination in sports.

Jamie qualified in September 2011.

Mike advises clients on a wide range of corporate, commercial and financing 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: 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 RFL on the restructure of the Super League; and The FA on governance matters.

Mike regularly advises both clubs and lenders on financing work including on a range of receivables transactions in 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.

Mike has completed the BASL/De Montfort Law School Diploma in Sports Law and Practice and is ranked as a “Next Generation Partner” in Legal 500 for Sport.

Ian’s practice spans a wide range of transactional and regulatory areas of sports law. He is recognised by the legal directories as a leading “commercial dealmaker” “who has become a clear leader in the UK” and “an excellent lawyer, whose knowledge of the sports industry is unparalleled”. His expertise includes the financial regulation of sport (including salary caps and financial fair play), mergers and acquisitions, financing, governance, integrity, rules and regulations, sponsorship agreements, player transfers, player contracts and image rights.

He has a particular expertise in the use of data in the sports industry, has spoken widely on the subject, advises a number of companies in the area and sits on the board of STATSports as a non-executive director.

Ian’s recent work highlights include advising Atairos on its investment in Aston Villa FC, acting for Michele Kang on her acquisition of London City Lionesses, advising Farhad Moshiri on the sale of Everton FC, acting for Chelsea FC on its acquisition by the Boehly/Clearlake consortium, advising Elliott on the sale of AC Milan and acting for 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.

Ian is ranked in the “Hall of Fame” for Sport by Legal 500 and in Band 1 for UK Sport by Chambers and Partners. Ian is also recommended in Who’s Who Legal in the Sports & Entertainment category.

Ian is admitted to practise in England & Wales, Ireland and New York.

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 introduction of a new non-league football player contract; 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.

Paul has a wide range of in-house experience having been on secondment to The FA, where he advised on their commercial rights programme, and Nike, where he advised on the merchandising programme for Nike’s key football assets. Paul is also a non-executive director of England Handball.

Paul has completed the BASL/ De Montfort Law School Diploma in Sports Law and Practice with distinction and has returned to lecture on the course. Paul is a regular contributor to various legal publications.  He speaks at conferences (including LawInSport) and on university courses and has appeared as a legal commentator in The Telegraph, The Independent, Sky Sports News and BBC Sport.

Paul is listed as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ in Legal 500 and is described by clients in Legal 500 as “an excellent strategist – exactly the sort of lawyer you want on your side” and is praised for his “clear, commercial and thorough advice”.

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 the Rugby Football League (RFL) on significant changes in the sport’s commercial, governance and strategic relationships, acting for long-standing client the WRU on a range of strategic projects, advising Bruin Capital on the acquisition of Interregional Sports Group (ISG), as well as supporting Betway, London Stadium and AEG Worldwide with their sponsorship programmes. He is also frequently involved with prominent governance mandates, including reforms for The FA, World Rugby and the RFL.

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.

He is ranked as a “Leading Individual” in Legal 500 for Sport, who describe him as having a “vast amount of industry knowledge and expertise” and “stands out for his work in sports governance reforms”. Jon is also ranked in Chambers, who describe him as “incredibly knowledgeable on all things sport-sponsorship”. Jon is an editorial board member of LawInSport, an independent disputes panel member for British Fencing, and a contributing author to the “BASL Sports Law Yearbook” and Chambers “Global Practice Guide for Sports Law”.

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. He is recognised as a ‘Key Lawyer’ in the Legal 500 for Sport.

George has completed the BASL/De Montfort Law School Diploma in Sports Law and Practice with distinction, and is also a certified privacy professional (The Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E)).

Hannah is a commercial litigator, specialising in large scale multi-party litigation and inquisitorial proceedings.   She has acted for a diverse range of clients in the sports, media and financial services sectors, often managing large teams working on complex and high profile matters. Hannah has particular experience in advising on fraud and corruption matters, as well as the conduct of internal investigations.

Hannah was part of the team representing The FA at the Hillsborough Inquests and acted for The FA in connection with various reviews and investigations into allegations of historic abuse within football.  Hannah has spent time on secondment at a technology company, an investment bank, a global defence and aerospace company and a multinational energy company.

Hannah is also the COO of Northridge.

Benoît is recognised as an “expert” on the application of EU and competition law in the sports sector.  He regularly acts in cases before the European Commission, European courts and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.  He has acted on some of the most significant European cases of the last decade concerning both the regulatory and commercial side of sport.

Chambers Global notes that he is “extremely knowledgeable, experienced and a pleasure to work with” while Who’s Who Legal has cited him as “the best sports lawyer in competition law”.

Originally from Ireland, Benoît read law at University College Cork.  He obtained a master’s degree in EU law at the College of Europe (Bruges) and undertook a traineeship at the European Commission (DG Competition).  He practised as a lawyer for a number of international law firms in Brussels before establishing his own practice in 2012.  His Brussels-based practice is independent of Northridge.

Benoît is admitted to practice as a solicitor (England & Wales) and avocat (Barreau de Bruxelles, Belgium).

Louise is an experienced commercial sports lawyer who has acted for some of the largest clients in the sector on some of their most ground-breaking deals.

She has particular expertise in all aspects of rights around sporting events, clubs and competitions, including tenders, hosting arrangements, media and sponsorship agreements, as well as the development of coherent media and commercial strategies.  Louise has acted both for rights holders and acquirers as well as brands and individuals across many sports.

Louise has been recognised in the Legal 500 and Chambers in Sports and Media as “one of the best broadcasting lawyers around” and “smart and hardworking…she can produce quality work quickly”.

Before joining Northridge, Louise took a career break to enjoy some time bringing up her children and, prior to that, was a partner at Olswang, Hammonds and, most recently, Littons.

As Legal Director, Tessa is responsible for content and knowledge at Northridge. Her role encompasses the management of the firm’s know how and training programmes (both internal and client), as well as the co-ordination of the firm’s business development activities and events.

Before taking on this role, Tessa was a commercial litigator at a leading UK firm. She is a qualified Solicitor Advocate (Higher Courts Civil Proceedings).

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, a leading sports betting odds/data supplier, before taking a role at a law firm which advises clients in the leisure sector (including sports betting operators and casinos).

Tom has advised gambling operators, sports governing bodies, sports clubs and TV production companies and, in 2022, Tom was seconded to LIV Golf.

Mark is a commercial lawyer specialising in the sport sector.

He advises clients on a diverse range of commercial contracts, including sponsorship, licensing and event management agreements.

Mark has previously spent time on secondment at a prominent sports rightsholder.

Oliver specialises in litigation and contentious regulatory matters, in particular for sports governing bodies.  Oliver’s experience includes acting for the governing bodies of tennis (ITF, ATP, WTA and Grand Slams) in relation to an independent review of integrity in tennis and The FA in relation to an independent review of alleged non-recent child sexual abuse in football and concurrent civil claims.  He is ranked as a “Rising Star” in Legal 500 for Sport.

Oliver also 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 previously advised the BHA on a major re-write of the Rules of Racing (effective September 2019).

His recent work highlights include acting for the BHA on its most high-profile disciplinary proceedings before its independent judicial panel, Sussex County Cricket Club in successfully reducing a sanction imposed on Sussex by the disciplinary body for the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following an allegation of ball-tampering, and an international rugby federation for various on-field disciplinary matters.

Oliver is a qualified Solicitor Advocate (Higher Courts Civil Proceedings) and has a Master’s Degree (LLM) in Sports Law and Practice.  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’ in the Sports Arbitration Moot, an annual sports law focussed mooting competition for law school students (organised in partnership with FIFA).

Philippa advises on a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, with a particular focus on the sport and media sectors.

She has experience advising on acquisitions and disposals, investments, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations and corporate governance matters, working closely with both companies and individuals.

Philippa has also spent time on secondment with a multinational media and entertainment organisation.

Will is a commercial litigator, with a particular focus on disputes, investigations, safeguarding and regulatory matters in sport.

He has represented clients in proceedings at all levels of the English civil judicial system, as well as before FIFA’s disciplinary bodies and at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.  In addition, Will regularly advises clients (sporting and non-sporting) in contractual, employment, and competition law disputes.

He has advised on a number of high-profile safeguarding and investigatory matters (including the independent football inquiry led by Clive Sheldon QC), and is experienced in drafting and advising on the interpretation of regulations and policies of major sports governing bodies.

Lucinda advises on a range of corporate matters with experience advising on acquisitions and disposals, investments, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations and corporate governance matters.

Before joining Northridge, Lucinda worked for a Magic Circle law firm and has spent time on secondment at a FTSE 100 company and a private equity portfolio company.

Kingsley specialises in delivering transactional and regulatory advice to clients operating across the sports sector.

He has experience advising on a wide range of corporate, commercial and financing matters including mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, joint ventures, corporate governance, sponsorship and partnership agreements, endorsement arrangements and receivables financing.

His recent work highlights include advising Chelsea FC on its acquisition for £4.25 billion by the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital; Spotify AB on its partnership arrangements with FC Barcelona; and Michele Kang/YMK Holdings on the creation of the world’s first women’s football multi-club ownership structure.

Kingsley has spent time on secondment at a prominent Premier League club and a leading sports media company.

Ed advises individuals and businesses on the full range of employment law issues, both contentious and non-contentious. He has considerable experience advising on the employment considerations in corporate transactions, advising on the enforceability of post-termination restrictions, as well as drafting and negotiating senior executive settlement agreements.

He also has experience advising on general HR issues, such as management of long-term sickness absence, redundancy processes and disciplinary and grievance procedures.

Ed is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Ed qualified in April 2019.

Kirsty specialises in commercial and corporate advice.  She advises a range of clients from across the sports, media and technology sectors, including athletes, clubs, rights-holders, brands and technology providers on commercial, corporate and governance matters.

Kirsty has spent time on secondment at The FA and at prominent Premier League and Championship football clubs.

Matthew is a commercial litigation Associate, advising on a broad range of matters in the sports sector.

Before joining Northridge, Matthew worked for a Magic Circle law firm and has experience in complex multi-party, multi-jurisdiction litigation.

Oliver specialises in corporate, commercial and financing advice to clients from across the sports, media and technology sectors, including clubs, athletes, rights-holders, brands and technology providers.

Recent work highlights include advising Chelsea FC on its acquisition for £4.25 billion by the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital; Farhad Moshiri on his agreement with 777 Partners to sell his controlling stake in Everton Football Club; and Michele Kang / YMK Holdings on the creation of the world’s first women’s football multi-club ownership structure through an investment in Olympique Lyonnais Féminin.

Oliver has spent time on secondment at a prominent Premier League football club and at The FA.

James is a commercial litigation Associate, specialising in disputes, investigations and regulatory matters in the sports sector. He has represented sports governing bodies, clubs, players, brands and rights holders, acting on cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the disciplinary judicial bodies of The FA, Premier League and FIFA.

His regulatory experience includes advising The FA in respect of the club licensing arrangements for The FA Women’s Super League and Championship.

James has spent time on secondment with clients, including The FA and CSM, and has experience in dealing with competition law issues in sport having worked in Brussels with Northridge’s competition law consultant, Benoît Keane.

Emily is a commercial lawyer specialising in the sport and technology sectors.

Emily has particular experience in commercial contracts, data privacy compliance, brand licensing, and sponsorship and endorsement related agreements.  She advises a breadth of clients from high growth to established companies, both in the business to consumer and business to business space.  Emily also advises on player contracts and football transfers including both Cristiano Ronaldo and Riyad Mahrez’s respective moves to Saudi Pro League clubs.

Emily has spent time on several secondments including one of the world’s largest automotive companies and a telecommunications provider. She has participated and moderated LawInSport panel sessions and has recently completed the De Montfort Law School Diploma in Sports Law and Practice.

Scott specialises in corporate and commercial advice to clients in the sports and media sectors. He is active in the Northridge TRACK initiative advising high-growth clients and investors on corporate and contractual matters, as well as in respect of fundraises for early stage businesses. Scott has experience advising in private M&A transactions and investments in sport. He has also advised both clubs and lenders in respect of the sale and purchase of future receivables under football transfer agreements.

Scott has spent time on secondment at a prominent Premier League football club.

Felicity specialises in commercial and corporate advice to clients in the sports, media and technology sectors. Felicity advises a range of clients, including athletes, clubs, rights-holders, brands and technology providers on a range of commercial, corporate and governance matters.

Felicity has spent time on secondment at a prominent Premier League football club where she undertook a variety of commercial contracts work.

Beth is a commercial litigation Associate, advising on a broad range of matters in the sports sector.

Before joining Northridge, Beth worked for an international law firm and has spent time on secondment at The Premier League.