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LAWINSPORT ADVISORY BOARD


The LawInSport Advisory Board consists of 14 expert lawyers with extensive in-house experience in the sports sector. The Advisory Board's remit is to advise us how we can better help support in-house lawyers and sports executives given the growing complexity of legal issues in sport globally.

What is LawInSport?

Alex Slade

VP Legal - EMEA, Aser Media

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Alex Slade is VP Legal, EMEA at Aser Media, the owner of the Eleven Sports Network. Alex covers all areas of the business but his primary focus is the Eleven Sports channels and offerings in EMEA and the US. That work encompasses rights acquisition, licensing, distribution and carriage of sports rights for the Eleven Sports Network.

In addition, he is also an Independent Non-Executive Director of the British Judo Association.

Prior to Eleven Sports he worked for BT Sport as Head of Legal, Sport having joined just before the launch of the channels and before that for he worked in kids TV at Nickelodeon. Outside interests include cycling and sailing - Alex spent a year out competing in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 2005-06. Alex lives with his wife and three daughters in Suffolk.

Andrew Ryan

Managing Director - FIBA Media

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Andrew Ryan is Head of Media Legal and Business Affairs with the International Olympic Committee's Television and Marketing Services entity.  Prior to joining the IOC, Andrew spent four years with Perform Group where he was Head of Legal (Commercial). During 2016, he was heavily involved in the development and launch of Perform’s OTT service “DAZN” and negotiated the ground-breaking 17 year strategic media partnership with FIBA which involved the creation of FIBA Media.

Andrew has spoken at both domestic and European conferences and seminars, primarily on legal matters involving the media sector, and has featured on multiple occasions in England's leading professional legal publication, The Lawyer. Away from work, he was previously an independent director of Basketball England and the Head of Fundraising and Corporate Partnerships for UK charity Cricket Without Boundaries. 

Angus Bujalski

Head of Legal, Rugby Football Union

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 Angus is the Head of Legal at the Rugby Football Union. He is responsible for supporting the RFU's commercial programme, including sponsorship, licensing, broadcasting and events. Day-to-day work includes negotiating high value partnership agreements, and arrangements with stakeholders inside and outside rugby.

His responsibilities also include corporate governance and off-field regulatory matters. This has included commissioning and continuing to implement a large scale external review of the RFU’s corporate governance structure and practice.

Angus trained at Slaughter and May, and in private practice advised a number of Premier League football clubs and other clients across the sport and media industries on commercial and regulatory matters. 

Ashley Ehlert, Esq.

Legal Director, International Ice Hockey Federation

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 Ashley Ehlert is the Legal Director for International Ice Hockey Federation (“IIHF”), where she handles all legal aspects related to operating a global sports federation. In addition to handling all IIHF legal aspects, she is secretary to the IIHF Legal Committee and the IIHF Disciplinary Board, is a member of the Champions Hockey League Disciplinary Board and is a member of the Legal Expert Group for the IOC Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions.

She regularly lectures at sports law programs, speaks at various symposiums covering a wide range of topics, and lectures at integrity workshops geared towards players, coaches and administrators. Ashley holds a Sport Master’s degree from the International Centre for Studies, Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration from Stetson University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Florida. She is admitted to the Bar in the state of Florida, USA. 

Betul Ayranci

Former Legal Counsel - Sports Acquisitions Europe & Africa, Fox Sports

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 Betul is the sole Legal Counsel, Sports Acquisitions, Europe & Africa for FOX Sports, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In close coordination with the US Business & Legal Affairs team, she acts as an adviser on any sports related legal and business affairs matters in Europe and Africa, providing legal counsel, legal risk assessment and legal guidance in acquisitions of sports media rights.

As the youngest awardee of Legal 500 General Counsel Powerlist (of Turkey, in 2017), Betul is an attorney admitted to Istanbul Bar and Bar Associations of Turkey, a trademark agent admitted to Turkish Patent Institute since 2011, and Legal and Disciplinary Board member of Turkish Hockey Federation since 2012.

Before joining FOX Sports, Betul worked as an in-house counsel to a leading media holding, responsible for its operations in EMEA and Latin America. 

Brent Nowicki

Managing Counsel & Head of Anti-Doping Division, Court of Arbitration for Sport

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 Brent John Nowicki is currently Managing Counsel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. He joined the CAS in 2013 after 7 years as an attorney with the law firm of Hodgson Russ in Buffalo, New York. He received his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University and his Juris Doctor, with honours, from the State University of New York, University at Buffalo. On an international level, Mr. Nowicki is active in the anti- doping movement in Olympic sports, and his current work at the CAS exposes him to virtually every sporting dispute between the IOC, sporting federations, associations (FIFA and UEFA), leagues, teams, and players.

Mr. Nowicki serves on the International Committee of the Sports Lawyers Association, the Board of Directors for the Police Athletic League and is a member of Switzerland’s National Lacrosse Team.

Chris Anderson

General Counsel, Super League

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Chris Anderson is a highly experienced sports professional involved in elite sport for over 10 years, including Board level involvement at a Premier League football club. Chris is a qualified lawyer with track record of success in vast array of legal matters in sport, including commercial contract, player issues, selection appeals and advising governing bodies.

Chris has set up legal departments at two Premier League clubs and experience of managing non legal departments. He was the former Head of Legal and Commercial at Brighton & Hove Albion FC as well as the former Head of Legal & Company Secretary at Everton FC. Additionally he is the Appeals Chairman member of Scottish Football Association disciplinary panel, as well as winner of Leaders in Sport "Leaders under 40" award in the Legal and Governance Category.

 

Chris Duffy

Company Solicitor, Celtic Football Club

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 Chris is the Company Solicitor at Celtic Football Club, working across all aspects of the club’s on and off field business. Coming from a corporate background at Dickson Minto, Chris gained valuable sports specific experience at one of Scotland’s premier commercial and sports law firms, Harper Macleod before opting for a career in-house.

He undertook various commercially focussed roles in London with Vodafone, IMG (covering tennis, motorsports, mass participation, licensing and sponsorship) and Mediabrands (the media arm of the Interpublic Group) before returning home to Scotland in early 2017 to take up the role with Celtic. 

Cliodhna Guy

Head of Licensing, Legal & Compliance, The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board

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Cliodhna Guy joined the The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board in mid-February 2017. Cliodhna is an Irish qualified lawyer who has focused her career path in the sports industry. She qualified as a solicitor in Byrne Wallace, one of Ireland's top commercial firms and went on to gain significant experience, both nationally and internationally, as Legal Manager in the Football Association of Ireland and subsequently as Legal Director for the International Boxing Association. She has a Masters in Sports Law from De Montfort University in Leicester. She has strong international connections in the sports law industry and joins the The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board with an in-depth knowledge of integrity, disciplinary and governance matters. 

James Bonington

General Counsel, Chelsea Football Club

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James is General Counsel at Chelsea Football Club. His role provides legal support to all areas of the business, including the commercial operations at Stamford Bridge and the men's senior, academy and women's teams at Cobham Training Ground.

James trained and qualified at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, before joining The FA's legal team in 2007. He was appointed as The FA's Head of Corporate Legal in 2011, before joining Chelsea in 2014. 

Norman Wain

General Counsel, Chief of Business Affairs, USA Track & Field, Inc.

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Norman Wain is presently employed as General Counsel, Chief of Business Affairs at USA Track & Field, Inc., the national governing body for the sport of track and field, long distance running, and race walking in the United States. His responsibilities include managing all business and legal matters for the organization (e.g. negotiating all contracts, managing corporate governance, handling anti-doping matters, litigation oversight, etc).

Prior to Norm joining USA Track & Field, he was the Vice President – Corporate Legal Affairs at The Finish Line, Inc., a billion dollar publicly traded athletic specialty retailer in the United States. 

Norm is currently serving on the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) National Board of Directors. He is a member of the Sports Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association. Norm is also an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University where he teaches a graduate sports law course. Norm received his B.A. Degree from the University of California at Berkeley, along with Phi Beta Kappa Honors, and his J.D. Degree from the Pepperdine University School of Law.

Oliver Codrington

Managing Director, London Wellness Centre

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Oliver started his career as an in-house barrister, working for 6 years - latterly as Head of Compliance and Licensing - for the British Horseracing Authority. In 2010 he co-founded Global Sports Integrity, an independent company with unrivalled expertise in sports' betting integrity. Aside from his position as non-executive director of GSI, Oliver currently acts as a independent business management consultant for various disruptive start-ups and established businesses.

Oliver Rumsey

Legal Director, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team

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Ollie trained, qualified and practised for a number of years at a City firm with a leading sports practice, after which he followed his passion for motorsport by moving to Brawn GP in January 2010 as the team transitioned to become Mercedes F1.

Having acted for sportspeople, teams, clubs, governing bodies, venues, PR agencies and sports equipment brands in private practice, Ollie’s focus changed to motorsport as he went on to work with some of the great names in F1 including Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Ross Brawn and Toto Wolff. In 2019, after five F1 World Championship wins, Ollie left Mercedes to work for the newly rebranded Racing Point team alongside the investment consortium led by Lawrence Stroll as the team transitioned to become the Aston Martin works team.  

Sean Corbett

Principal, Pit Stop Brand Consultancy

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Sean is an IP practitioner and trade mark attorney with a unique insight into, and focus on, brand protection issues. After 14 action-fueled years at Formula One Management Ltd where he was Brand Protection Manager Sean has set up on his own as a Brand Protection Consultant offering a unique one-stop resource for every conceivable brand protection challenge to help protect, develop and strengthen the IP rights that are crucial to commercial success.

With a wealth of experience devising and maintaining the brand protection strategy for the pinnacle of motorsport, F1 racing, and in protecting the IP rights surrounding one of the world’s most popular sporting events and most imitated brands Sean is well versed in managing global IP portfolios combined with extensive experience of managing litigation in key territories adopting a commercially smart and pragmatic approach to resolving conflicts.

Away from work Sean is a keen snow boarder where he practices the art of falling down a mountain with style at every opportunity.  

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