Retour United Kingdom - The Bar

Leading Silks

Paul Harris KCMonckton Chambers ‘Paul is a punchy advocate if that is what a case demands.’
Adam Lewis KCBlackstone Chambers ‘Exceptional knowledge of sports law, strong work ethic, tactical thinker, and a team player.’
Nick De Marco KCBlackstone Chambers ‘Nick is an excellent and supremely experienced counsel on sports work. A strong and persuasive advocate.’
John Mehrzad KCFountain Court Chambers ‘Exceptional advocate – a class act. Repeatedly instructed on the heavyweight professional sport cases for good reason.’
Ian Mill KCBlackstone Chambers ‘Ian is a phenomenal advocate, a powerhouse, and someone who one would always want acting for clients in a significant sporting matter.’
Jane Mulcahy KCBlackstone Chambers ‘Jane is an exceptional advocate who can be relied upon to make the most difficult of concepts clear and understandable.’
Kate Gallafent KCBlackstone Chambers ‘The best when it comes to complex and politically charged regulatory matters. Her advocacy is respectful, forceful and persuasive.’
Paul Gilroy KCLittleton Chambers ‘Paul is a skilled and powerful advocate, who can tailor his style to the occasion.’
Nina Goolamali KC – 39 Essex Chambers ‘Nina is fastidiously thorough, and a fearsome negotiator – definitely someone you want in your corner, and not your opponent’s. She is always on top of her brief, and has the ear of the court as a result.’
David Reade KCLittleton Chambers ‘He is simply a superb all-rounder with all the legal skills necessary for a top barrister including unmatched knowledge in his field, great presence in court and excellent judgement.
Daniel Saoul KC4 New Square ‘Superb advocate, amazing on cross-examination. Superbly intelligent; a leader in the field of sports law.’
James Segan KCBlackstone Chambers ‘He is knowledgeable, gives great advice in complex areas and is an excellent advocate.’
Jim Sturman KC2 Bedford Row ‘Jim is incredibly grounded and a true football man, who gets the nuances of the clients and the industry.’
William Audland KC12 King’s Bench Walk ‘Impeccable preparation and very quick to understand and get to the heart of the issues. A top star team leader and player. His advocacy skills are tremendous.’
Schona Jolly KCCloisters 'Schona slices through an issue with the highest of intellect. She is personable, collaborative, always sees the bigger picture and maps the best strategic approach with care and originality.'
Sean Jones KC11KBW ‘A star in sports employment work - brilliant with clients - clients keep asking for him to be instructed - really understands the sector.’
Richard Liddell KC4 New Square ‘Richard is the complete package. His advocacy and particularly his cross-examination is fearsome, and his written work is always spot-on. A class act.’
Mohinderpal Sethi KCLittleton Chambers 'Very robust and reliable. An excellent manner, so very suitable for difficult situations concerning troubling abuse or discrimination allegations.'

2023 Silks

Katherine Apps KC39 Essex Chambers ‘A real strength and knowledge in intricate sporting disputes, in particular safeguarding.’

Leading Juniors

Lydia BanerjeeLittleton Chambers ‘Lydia is unflappable, without weakness; if you want a brilliant outcome without paying for a Silk, instruct her.’
Pippa Manby4 New Square ‘Pippa is very quick to pick up on the complexities of a matter, very clear in her advice and also very calm under pressure.’
Tom MountfordBlackstone Chambers ‘Outstanding pleadings as well in direct examination and cross examination. Very thorough, precise and systematic.’
Kendrah Potts4 New Square ‘Kendrah is fantastic to work with. She is extremely practical, a skilful oral advocate, knows the case inside out and is great with clients.’
Jonathan Bellamy39 Essex Chambers 'Jonathan is very commercial, on top of procedures in arbitration, and scrupulously fair.'
Luka KrsljaninBlackstone Chambers ‘Luka is a superb advocate. He is clear, precise, exceedingly persuasive, has a command of his instructions and a close attention to the detail of even the most complex of cases.’
Ravi MehtaBlackstone Chambers ‘He has a brilliant mind and is able to quickly analyse the merits and explain them to clients in accessible terms - a real pleasure to work with.’
Sam NeamanLittleton Chambers ‘A brain as sharp as a surgical needle, an ability to see the wood for the trees, a very practical approach and comfortable speaking to clients at any level.’
Ifeanyi Odogwu – Matrix Chambers ‘He is ahead of his time, being young, dynamic, supremely bright and personable.’
Louis WestonOuter Temple Chambers 'Ability to understand the case and the nuances. Strong knowledge of the sport specifics and understanding of rules and regulations.'
Max BainesRed Lion Chambers ‘Max is a brilliant advocate. His instructing solicitors would not want to be cross-examined by him, and he is really approachable and thorough.’
Theo Barclay  – 4 New Square ‘He is no longer a rookie and is becoming a seasoned pro. A team player of fierce intellect. First name on the team sheet for me.’
Ashley CukierLittleton Chambers ‘Personable, smart, responsive, very thorough in his approach, and he’s good at coming up with creative solutions to unusual problems.‘
Craig HarrisFurnival Chambers ‘He's a brilliant tactician, always has all angles of a negotiation or dispute covered. A brilliant lateral thinker who shows superb judgement at all times.’
Andrew Smith11KBW 'Andrew thinks carefully about the legal issues posed by the case and provides the client with sensible advice.'
Grahame AndersonLittleton Chambers ‘An absolute star. Hard working, intelligent with powerful and focused advocacy skills.’
William Clerk  – 2 Temple Gardens ‘Meticulous in his preparation, first class grasp of the law and excellent knowledge of the sports sector - in particular motorsport and rugby.‘
William Harman4 New Square ‘Super smart, a first-class drafter, very personable and great with lay clients. A barrister who is all over the detail from the very beginning. A real creative mind.’
Maurice Holmes – Crown Office Chambers 'Maurice is one of the most impressive new juniors breaking into the sports sector and definitely a rising star.'
Thomas Horton  - 3 Hare Court  'Thomas has a good and practical approach to applying law to the facts.'
Diarmuid Laffan4 New Square ‘Diarmuid has many strengths and is an excellent barrister. He is able to see the wood for the trees and has a very good commercial brain.’
David LoweBlackstone Chambers ‘Superb tactician, very client friendly and a strong advocate.’
Will Martin – 2 Hare Court ‘One of the best juniors in sports regulatory disputes out there.’
Jessica van der Meer  – 2 Temple Gardens ‘Jessica is tenacious and committed. She will fight her client’s corner without fear or favour.’
Jason Pobjoy – Blackstone Chambers ‘Jason is able to distill large amounts of factual detail and complex legal argument into short pertinent and persuasive arguments very effectively. His work ethic and flexibility is also second-to-none.’
Sebastian PurnellDevereux ‘Very approachable, good with clients, technically strong and understands the right procedural approach.’
Celia RooneyBlackstone Chambers ‘Celia is sharp as a tack; clever, creative and superb with clients. Practical and strategic, she is a number one go to junior for work across the spectrum.’
Zac Sammour11KBW ‘Brilliant mind with a good eye for detail. Works very hard – prepares assiduously.’
Max Shephard – 4-5 Gray's Inn Square 'A good barrister with good technical knowledge of anti-doping.'
Shane SibbelBlackstone Chambers ‘Very approachable and responsive. Excellent knowledge of the law. Unflappable advocacy.’
Natasha SimonsenBlackstone Chambers 'Natasha is always calm, sensible, and clear even when passions are high or problems are emerging. She is a world-class advocate.'

Rising Stars

Samuel Cuthbert – Outer Temple Chambers ‘Samuel is a real star of the future. He is client-friendly, razor-sharp, hard-working, and is superb on his feet. He is a real asset both at the strategy phase of a dispute, and at the sharp end of a hearing. A fearsome negotiator.’
Spencer Turner12 King’s Bench Walk ‘Spencer is very thorough and precise in his advice, and careful in analysis. His advocacy is impressive, particularly in interlocutory hearings.’

Sport in London Bar

Blackstone Chambers


Blackstone Chambers fields several ‘doyens of sport law’, who are ‘in a league of their own’. The set acts for all types of domestic and international clients from the world of sports, including high-profile athletes, managers and agents, teams, broadcasters and other commercial parters as well as governing bodies on all types of matters from commercial activity to regulation. For example, Adam Lewis KC acted for the European Tour in its disciplinary proceedings relating to players having played in an LIV Golf tournament despite having been refused permission to play in the rebel tournament, while Tom Mountford and David Lowe, led by James Segan KC, acted on behalf of the golfers. In Fulham FC v Jones, a leading sports injury case, Luka Krsljanin was successful as sole counsel for the club in managing to get a judgement overturned which had found Fulham liable for a reckless tackle which caused career-ending injuries to a Swansea FC youth player. Jane Mulcahy KC acts for sports regulators, organisations and individuals and was recently active in cases concerning historic allegations of race discrimination.

Les références

‘I always try and deal with Adam Sloane who is a first rate clerk. He is always available, easy to deal with and accommodating.’

‘The clerks at Blackstone are by far the best set we have worked with. Gary Oliver leads an outstanding team and is brilliant with clients and business development.’

‘Always a great service. Billy Brian is very responsive and always helpful.’

Principaux dossiers














4 New Square Chambers


4 New Square Chambers acts ‘at the top of the field on high-profile sports disputes‘, in particular representing national and international sports governing bodies. For example, Pippa Manby managed to prosecuted former Northampton Saints player Chris Mayor, who was banned for four years for trafficking human growth hormone, while Kendrah Potts acted as sole counsel to the ICC in bringing corruption charges against the former West Indies player Marlon Samuels. Potts also led William Harman for the International Tennis Integrity Agency, bringing 107 charges for match-fixing against six professional tennis players. Turning to defence work, Richard Liddell KC acted for race horse trainer Richard Hannon in a BHA case after a race horse’s urine sample was found to contain arsenic. Members of the set sit as well – Graeme McPherson KC chaired the determination of the EFL’s Financial Fair Play charges against Derby County FC.

Les références

‘Clerks coordinate very well. Dennis Peck, Alex Dolby and Jack Boggans are all truly great. ‘

‘The clerks are very helpful. Dennis Peck is particularly knowledgeable.’

‘Dennis Peck does a great job of staying close to the subject matter expertise of his sports members, and the set generally is up there with the best in terms of clerking.’

Principaux dossiers














Littleton Chambers


Littleton Chambers demonstrates an ‘excellent range of work‘ in the sports field, which includes contractual, employment and FA Rule K disputes in football, while standing out for its work in the scope of discrimination and safeguarding investigations. For example, Mohinderpal Sethi KC is chair of the independent investigation, and Ashley Cukier a member of the investigation team, looking into allegations of unlawful discrimination at Yorkshire CCC. Paul Gilroy KC was instructed as an expert witness on English law in an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the dispute between the club and Nantes FC over the transfer of Emiliano Sala. David Reade KC is noted for his working relating to agency contracts disputes in football, and Lydia Banerjee is noted for her work in investigations by governing bodies regarding, among others, safeguarding and abuse.

Les références

‘Excellent clerks service – special mention for Ian Smethurst’

‘The clerks are first class: The Head Clerk Jason Drakeford is down to earth, practical and very commercial. George Shah is up and coming.’

‘Jason Drakeford is very helpful and responsive.’

Principaux dossiers














39 Essex Chambers


39 Essex Chambers covers the full range of matters from the world of sports with members showing particular experience in the areas of safeguarding, anti-doping and other disciplinary proceedings as well as personal injury cases in the sports context. For example, Nina Goolamali KC continues to represent World Rugby in the ongoing concussion litigation. Katherine Apps KC, who took silk in 2023, was recently particularly active in relation to safeguarding matters, while Jonathan Bellamy was appointed vice chair of the English Football League’s club financial review panel and has been active in a variety of football matters, including breach of contract, player-agent disputes, club-club transfer disputes and image and data rights issues.

Les références

’39 Essex is building up a solid sports law practice – mostly in personal injury related matters.’

‘Great strength in depth & at silk level.’

‘Good sport focused webinar/seminar programme – impressive speakers.’

Principaux dossiers














Monckton Chambers


Monckton Chambers has particular strengths in matters at the intersection of sport law with EU competition law, freedom of movement and cross-border trading. In the football matter RB Leipzig v Leeds United FC before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Paul Harris KC and Fiona Banks acted for Leeds in a fee dispute arising from the unprecedented extension to the loan of the striker Jean-Kevin Augustin from the Bundesliga club to England that occurred in the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and which raised important questions about the impact of the pandemic upon football contracts.

Principaux dossiers