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Meet the finest and most expensive barristers in the country who are preparing to settle City’s fate
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“Pannick on the streets of London” read the banner which was hung from the Etihad in February 2023 after the Premier League announced that it would be charging Manchester City with more than 100 alleged breaches of its rules.
Another 19 months later and Lord Pannick – the inspiration behind that banner – was the first man seen striding through the capital near St Paul’s on Monday for day one of a hearing that promises to become the most important Premier League fixture of the season.
Described as a “bet the company” case by The Lawyer magazine, both the Premier League and Manchester City have assembled some of the finest – and most expensive – legal brains in the country for a case in which costs are expected to run into tens of millions of pounds. A private arbitration hearing between the same two parties into the legality of the league’s associated party transaction rules took place in June and, in legal circles, there were rumours of more than 60 lawyers being in the room.
Exact legal teams for what is now being billed sport’s ‘trial of the century’ have not been publicly disclosed but, with lawyers seen arriving at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London on Monday, key players from the expected line-ups have now emerged:
Instructed by Chris Yates, Clifford Chance partner and head of the firm’s sports and entertainment group:
Described by The Lawyer as “one of the modern doyens of the English Bar”, Pannick is variously reputed to charge between £5,000 and £10,000 for an hour of his expertise. That puts him firmly in the Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne league of legal talent. The 68-year-old was called to the Bar in 1979 and has since worked on some of the most famous cases in British legal history, including when he acted for the Sunday Times in publishing extracts from Spycatcher back in the 1980s. He was appointed silk in 1992 and his clients have since included Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He also famously acted against the Government in the Supreme Court case that successfully stopped Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament in 2019. He then acted for the former prime minister in the ‘partygate’ inquiry for breaking Covid 19 regulations. Legal experts believe that Pannick – reputedly an Arsenal fan – has been recruited above all for his formidable advocacy skills in his presentation of arguments.
Named ‘Barrister of the Year’ at The Lawyer awards in 2021, Harris’s submission included a personal testimony from Simon Cliff, the general counsel at the City Group. Harris, who had been a trusted adviser to the club for almost 20 years, led Manchester City’s successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020 against the Uefa ban over alleged breaches of the financial fair play.
Cliff called the case “very complex and highly charged”, describing Harris as “one of the brightest and most technically gifted lawyers” he had ever worked with. Harris has also acted in the world of Formula One for Lewis Hamilton and for Liverpool in the Luis Suárez biting incident at the 2014 World Cup. In legal circles, he has won particular fame for his work in what has been described as the largest ever UK damages class action: Merricks v Mastercard.
Known for his mastery of detail and forensic dissection of complex cases, Marshall specialises in commercial disputes and finance, particularly international fraud. He works at Serle Court with James Mather, who is also understood to be playing a key role in City’s legal team and is another expert in large scale and complex commercial disputes.
Blackstone Chambers
Monckton Chambers
Serle Court
Instructed by Max Duthie, Bird & Bird partner and Cambridge rugby blue:
Named ‘Sports Silk of the Year’ for 2023, Lewis is an expert on sporting rulebooks and has worked across multiple major sports, notably acting for Premiership Rugby on their landmark case against Saracens for breaching salary caps. This culminated with Saracens’ relegation from rugby’s top flight. Lewis co-wrote the textbook Sport: Law and Practice, which extends beyond 2,500 pages, retails at £325, and claims to be the leading legal title on sports law in the UK.
He was also particularly involved in cases arising out of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, and worked for the Premier League following the attempt to form a European Super League. The research firm Chambers and Partners says that Lewis “has an extremely sharp and fierce intellect” and, in their legal guide, said that he was “widely regarded as the leading sports barrister in the UK”. He spearheaded the Premier League’s case against Everton for breaches of financial regulations.
Combining his commercial practice with publicly funded and pro bono human rights practice, Pobjoy acted for the lead claimants in challenge against the UK Government’s Rwanda asylum plan. A Cambridge graduate, he has previously also acted for Harry, the Duke of Sussex, in a judicial review that challenged security-related decisions by the Government. Pobjoy has worked extensively for the Premier League in recent years, including with Lewis in the case against Everton and then as general counsel in the appeal board case involving Everton’s costs. The Premier League had sought £4.9 million but a ruling said that Everton should only pay £1.7 million. Pobjoy had argued that “the club’s unreasonable conduct in the proceedings unnecessarily and significantly increased” costs for the Premier League. Everton said that the Premier League had paid above standard hourly rates for its legal work, describing the costs as “eye-watering”.
Another member of Blackstone Chambers, Hunter complements Lewis’s expertise in the sporting world with a specialism in commercial and financial law.
Described as “one of the leading barristers working across commercial litigation, civil fraud and international commercial arbitration”, he applies that expertise to the sport, media and entertainment sectors. Hunter has won praise for his ability to quickly process complex facts. Notable sporting cases in which he has previously acted included rugby’s ‘Bloodgate’ scandal and the ‘Spygate’ controversy in Formula One. The Premier League team also involves several other lawyers from Blackstone but it is unclear whether they will include Jane Mulcahy, another KC and renowned sport lawyer, who has worked for the Premier League but also Manchester City on its review into the paedophile Barry Bennell. She was not among those seen arriving at the hearing on Monrday.
Blackstone Chambers
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