Sport, entertainment and media

Mills & Reeve provides comprehensive legal support across all relevant disciplines in the sports, media, and entertainment sectors. Our services include commercial agreements, media rights, content licensing, disciplinary matters, employment law, finance, insolvency, restructuring, football regulations, IP, brand protection, immigration, doping cases, discrimination, player contracts, reputation management, sports arbitration, and real estate development for sports stadia. Our team’s deep industry knowledge and client-centric approach ensure tailored legal solutions to meet your specific needs.

Our team has extensive experience in sports arbitration and litigation, both domestically and internationally. We have successfully defended high-profile clients in landmark doping cases and provided strategic advice on various disputes. Our expertise includes representing clients before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and other arbitration bodies. Mark has acted in over 450+ CAS cases, and Carol is one of only 20 FIFA mediators worldwide. Therefore, we are in a great position to guide our clients through the complexities of sports law, ensuring their interests are protected and their objectives achieved.

Our media lawyers help clients navigate the complexities of media rights and content licensing agreements. Our team of media solicitors has successfully completed numerous high-value deals, ensuring clients maximise their commercial opportunities. We provide strategic advice on content distribution, digital rights, and regulatory compliance, helping clients protect their intellectual property and achieve their business goals.

Our team of sports law solicitors has guided clubs, agents, managers and players and other football organisations through complex domestic and international player transfers, contract negotiations and image rights. We have a deep understanding of football regulations and provide practical, commercial advice to ensure compliance and successful outcomes. Our experience in sports law also includes advising on disputes, disciplinary and regulatory matters at international level, making us the go-to advisers in this area.

We provide legal support for the construction and real estate development of major sports stadia. Our services include advising on planning, financing, construction contracts, and regulatory compliance. We help clients navigate the legal intricacies of large-scale projects, ensuring timely and successful completion. Our experience with high-profile stadia projects demonstrates our capability to handle complex real estate developments in the sports sector.

We provide comprehensive reputation management services, including crisis response, media relations, and brand protection. Our sports law and media law team helps clients navigate public relations challenges, ensuring their reputation remains intact. We offer strategic advice on handling media inquiries, social media management, and legal actions to protect against defamation and privacy breaches.

We offer specialised immigration services for sports professionals and media talent, including visa applications, work permits, residency issues, and Governing Body Endorsements advice. Our team of sports and media lawyers have extensive experience navigating the complex immigration landscape, ensuring clients can work and compete domestically and internationally without legal hurdles.

We build strong, long-term relationships with our clients through a personalised service, free education, and thought leadership. Our team of sports, entertainment and media solicitors offer regular seminars, blogs, and articles on relevant legal issues, ensuring clients stay informed and supported. Our client-centric approach ensures we meet their specific needs and objectives.