Dispute Resolution

onside law advises sports, entertainment, fashion and other clients in all forms of dispute resolution across a wide range of contractual, intellectual property, media, employment, disciplinary and regulatory disputes.

Our contentious experience includes UK High Court and County Court litigation, cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, doping and other sports disciplinary disputes (including FA tribunals and hearings), international arbitrations, mediations, employment tribunals and intellectual property/domain name disputes.

We always take a commercial, results-focussed approach to dispute resolution. We feel we can add real value to our clients through our understanding and considerable experience of the industries in which they operate. Litigation can be a costly process and as such we ensure that our clients are updated, on an ongoing basis, on the cost/benefit implications of pursuing or defending any given action. Where appropriate, we advise our clients to consider the generally more cost-effective approach of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution), such as mediation and expert determination, and in sports-related cases the UK Sports Dispute Resolution Panel or the Court of Arbitration for Sport. We have also built up a quality network of preferred specialist counsel from some of the leading barristers chambers in the UK.

Recent industry-specific cases handled by our lawyers include:

• Acting for the French Tennis Federation in their defence of a High Court action brought by Adidas
• High Court action on behalf of football scout against leading football agency
  
• Acting for a leading rugby agency in a contractual dispute with a leading international player
  
• Acting for football agent in FIFA Players’ Status Committee proceedings against an international footballer
  
• Advising the International Paralympic Committee on the defence of doping appeals before the Court of Arbitration for Sport
  
• Advising a former Premiership footballer in a High Court action against his former Premiership club
  
• Advising a high-profile football manager in defence of High Court injunction proceedings
  
• Representing a football manager and a football agent in separate high-profile FA Disciplinary Commission hearings
  
• High Court action for sports hospitality company against a rival company
  
• Acting for a celebrity in defamation proceedings against a number of leading UK newspapers
  
• County court action on behalf of an event management business regarding a ticketing dispute with a rival sports hospitality company
  
• High Court defamation and harassment proceedings on behalf of governing body against a member
  
• Advising a leading motor racing team in defence of action brought by a professional driver
  
• Advising various clients in relation to a range of IP infringement actions, breach of contract claims and domain name disputes
  
• Advising a range of international and domestic sports people in relation to disputes with clubs and governing bodies