A report in the media recently suggested that Raheem Sterling was to set up his own football agency[1]. This article looks at whether that is possible and some alternative explanations.
Firstly, there is no obligation for a footballer to retain the services of an FA Registered Intermediary (commonly referred to as agents, which is the term utilised in this article), as the player is perfectly entitled to represent himself/herself to negotiate a contract with a club.
Bermans, commercial law firm in Liverpool and Manchester, is delighted to announce that it has promoted 6 individuals to more senior roles at the firm.
Andrew Henderson (left) joined Bermans in 1985 and has developed an expertise in asset finance litigation. He has been made a Partner and joins Alex Chapman, David Gledhill and Jonathan Berkson as partners in the specialist Asset Based Lending team that is ranked in the Legal 500 London Asset Finance Lending rankings.
He deals with matters such as fraud, freezing orders, title claims, delivery up claims, guarantee/indemnity claims, shortfalls and general debt recovery for a wide range of asset based lenders.
David joined Bermans in 2020 following previous roles at national and international law firms specialising in sport. He has a degree in law and qualified in 2012.
He is a highly respected and experienced practitioner within sport and is recommended in Legal500 2021 as a “Rising Star” within sports law.
David regularly advises on both contentious and non-contentious issues with experience in a variety of sports including football, boxing and horse racing. His experience includes regularly advising sports participants (including players, athletes, managers, agents, owners and trainers) on contractual issues such as endorsement agreements, image rights, player/athlete contracts, promotional contracts and representation agreements. David is also regularly instructed on disciplinary and anti-doping matters as well as disputes (including FA Rule K Arbitrations, Premier League Rule X Arbitrations, disputes before FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber and Player’s Status Committee, high profile sporting disputes before civil courts and high level sports personal injury cases).
David is as a member of the Dispute, Disciplinary and Appeal Panel for British Canoeing and a Disciplinary Panel Member for Lancashire FA.
Gareth joined Bermans in 2018, following his role as commercial litigation lawyer in the City and previous to that a successful career as a Premier League and international footballer.
Gareth qualified as a solicitor in 2018 following his degree in law and became a Senior Associate in 2021.
He has accrued a wealth of experience in a wide range of white-collar crime matters, including SFO investigations and corporate compliance. The fusion of this specialist grounding and Gareth’s contact base has meant that he has developed niche expertise in complex high value tax fraud litigation and associated negligence actions as well as claims for restitution from mis-sold financial products.
He has also developed significant expertise in sports law, building on his extensive practical experience in the sporting industry.
He has been involved in numerous transfers and disputes concerning current and former players, including a leading Court of Arbitration for Sport case which resulted in changes being made to the rules. Gareth was appointed as a Court of Arbitration for Sport Arbitrator in 2019. He has recently been appointed to the Premier League Judicial Panel.
In addition, he is a member of the Football Association’s Judicial Panel and sits on both the Chairman’s Panel and the Football Panel. He is a member of Sports Resolutions’ independent Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators.
Andrew joined Bermans in January 2017 as a Partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution team based in Manchester.
Andrew studied law at University College, Oxford and The College of Law, Guildford, before qualifying as a Solicitor in 1987.
Andrew advises for owner-managed businesses, professional practices, insolvency practitioners, property developers, secured lenders and individuals.
He specialises in property litigation, shareholder and partnership disputes; litigation for secured lenders; contract disputes; professional negligence and insolvency.
Outside of work, Andrew enjoys football (both playing 5-a-side and watching Manchester City); running; walking/climbing; music and learning to play the piano. Plus he is a member of the Manchester Law Society.
Chris is an experienced Commercial Law partner who joined Bermans as Head of the Commercial Team in April 2014, having qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and completing a degree in law.
Chris is well respected in his fields of expertise and advises businesses both nationally and internationally on commercial and company law matters. Chris advises companies on commercial contracts and company law, partners and partnerships on partnership law and partnership documentation, and charities on charity law matters such as registration and constitutional issues.
Having worked in industry for 13 years before qualifying as a solicitor, Chris provides a commercial approach in problem solving, which assist clients in achieving their commercial objectives.
Guy is a partner at Bermans and joined Bermans Property and Construction team in 2006.
He qualified as a solicitor in 2006 following his degree in Classics.
He provides commercial property advice to clients within many different sectors including commercial property development, house builders, Private Rental Sector (PRS), property investment, retail and banking.
He has a wealth of experience across a wide range of commercial property transactions including, commercial property acquisitions and disposals, commercial leases, site acquisitions and disposals, development and planning agreements, secured lending, receivership appointments and property disposals and the creation of easements and rights of way.
Guy prides himself on providing speedy and pragmatic advice to his clients and also on his ability to deliver a top quality service within a transparent and competitive fee structure and within the required timeframes.
Nick, a partner since 2001, and member of the firms management board also heads up the Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Collections teams.
Nick has a degree in law and qualified as a solicitor in 1997.
He is a highly respected commercial litigator and cited by the Legal 500 as one of the top lawyers in the North West, he has expertise in heavy weight contractual disputes ranging from shareholder, partnership and franchisor issues to complex property construction, insurance and tax litigation. Professional negligence claims is also an area in which he is highly regarded.
As co-founder of the multi-award winning dispute resolution product, Escalate, Nicks innovative, solution driven and price sensitive approach is well recognised by his clients.
Alive to the changing climate, Nick has embraced ADR and has conducted many successful negotiated settlements through mediation.
Michael joined Bermans as a trainee solicitor in 2008 and became a Partner in 2021.
Following his degree in law and qualification in September 2010, he joined the Litigation and Dispute Resolution team based in the firm’s Liverpool office.
Michael’s focus is commercial litigation and he provides specialist advice to clients in relation to a wide range of disputes, including shareholder and partnership matters, warranty and covenant claims, property litigation and complex, high-value contractual disputes.
Michael prides himself on his approachable and positive attitude, and clients appreciate his ability to explain complex legal issues in simple, understandable terms. Always keen to keep matters firmly in a commercial focus, Michael works with clients to resolve disputes and meet objectives in the most cost-effective way possible.
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