Sam’s high-level personal sporting experience has given him invaluable understanding of Sport law from the client’s perspective. Listed by Legal 500 as a leader in the field of Sports Law, and shortlisted for Sports Junior of the Year in the 2024-5 Legal 500 Bar Awards, Sam is described as “a go-to sports lawyer”, “from start to finish, the complete package”, and having “A very grounded understanding of the sports world which he applies to his very knowledgeable practice”. Himself a former boxer, Sam was for many years Legal Adviser to the Amateur Boxing Association of England and is currently Legal Adviser to UK Athletics.
Special expertise in Boxing, Formula 1/motor racing, and professional football matters, where Sam has extensive experience of both contractual disputes and regulatory/licensing issues.
Boxing clients have included numerous boxers (including two World Champions), managers, and promoters in licensing, regulatory, and contractual disputes. Sam has also drafted and advised on Bout Agreements for World Championship fights, boxer-promoter contracts, boxer-manager contracts, and other commercial contracts for world champion boxers.
Elsewhere within Sport, Sam is regularly instructed in commercial claims and arbitrations, and by top-level players, coaches, agents, promoters, managers, clubs and sporting bodies on issues ranging from misconduct hearings in international ice hockey to professional golf sponsorship disputes, and from football transfer negotiations to the entitlement of a jockey to ride in the Agra Diamond Stakes at Royal Ascot. Himself a former member of Bristol City FC’s youth squad, Sam has represented Premiership and Championship football clubs, and in Rinaldi v Rugby Football League, Sam was instructed in a European discrimination law test case on the legality of the RFL’s overseas players quota system.
Most of Sam’s work in this area is highly confidential but recent example cases of note in the public domain include:
- Standing & Anr v Power (2024): High Court litigation relating to the ownership of Swindon Town Football Club.
- FA v Power & Ors (2024): related FA disciplinary proceedings against Sam’s client and others over alleged breach of the FA’s intermediary rules.
- Hartlepool United Football Club v Fulham Football Club (2022): widely reported successful claim by Sam’s client Hartlepool Utd, for compensation following the move of a Hartlepool player to Fulham.
- Collinge v Watford Football Club Ltd(2018): high profile discrimination claim brought by the club’s former Head of Medical.
- Turn One SA v Lotus F1 Team Ltd (2015): high profile dispute with the Lotus Formula 1 team in a complex and wide-ranging case involving IP rights to the Lotus website, defamation and breaches of contract.
- Axon & Ors v Caterham Sports Limited (in administration) (2014): high profile and complex class action by 38 former employees of Formula 1 team Caterham following their summary dismissals.
- Legion Concierge (UK) Ltd v Con Questa BV(2014): A complex dispute surrounding alleged illegal ticketing practices for the Paris Open Tennis at Roland Garros and the European Football Championships in Ukraine.
- Wirth Research Ltd v Green (2010): instructed by F1 team Force India to defend a confidential information non-compete injunction application brought against the Defendant who moved to become Technical Director of Force India.