Aspiring Lawyers tackle UK Sports Law competition

Our legal team gave the next generation of solicitors a taste of sports law at a national competition hosted in Manchester.

Students were invited to the UK Sports Law competition held at the Etihad Stadium, to give them invaluable experience, first-hand feedback from industry specialists and an opportunity to network.  

Students from Birmingham University, The University of Sheffield, Swansea University and more 
travelled to take part in the annual competition to win coveted prizes such as work experience at Gateley.

They were shrewdly tested on their ability to think commercially when faced with a fabricated legal issue within the sports industry – the panel of judges included representatives from Adidas, Sport England, English Football League, Confederation of Professional Golf and more. 

John Burns, a partner in our commerce, technology and media team, said: “It really is a testament to the work we do here at Gateley that so many students have travelled far and wide to attend our event. 

“We have a brilliant reputation for advising some big players in the sports industry, so it’s no surprise that work experience is highly coveted by students interested in sports law.  

“Our work includes everything from sponsorship and merchandising agreements, personality rights, property and stadia matters to brand promotion and exploitation, commercial contracts and data protection. There really is so much for aspiring lawyers to get involved in.”

The two students who won the competititon were Aron Micaleff and Karisha Francis, from the University of Salford. 

Aron commented: “It was an amazing opportunity to be able to attend the UK Sports Law competition at the Etihad – I thoroughly enjoyed the day and was so grateful to be a part of it. I’ve always had a real interest in sport so being able to attend the venue was incredible. I was also able to develop my knowledge of law and negotiation skills, which has further piqued my interest in pursuing a career in this field.”

Karisha commented: “The highlight of the competition for me was being able to talk with the judges who all came from exciting companies in sport – it was incredibly useful to get feedback from them. I also really enjoyed the Bridgeability session which looked at the fundamentals of a successful negotiation. It helped set a great precedent for the rest of the day and allowed me to learn a lot.”