Patricia Leonard is a Barrister at 7 Bedford Row Chambers and has experience of dealing with high profile clients and media sensitive cases. Patricia has successfully obtained a Reporting Restriction Order and a permanent Anonymity Order in a three week race discrimination trial. As this application was made in a race discrimination claim, neither Rule 49 or Rule 50 applied. The successful application relied upon Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights and the EAT case of F v G (Practice and Procedure: Reporting Restriction order) UKEAT/0042/11/DA. It is believed this is the first Reporting Restriction Order and a permanent Anonymity made in a case of this type.

She also accepts instructions in all areas of domestic UK sports employment law, including unfair & wrongful dismissal, redundancy, discrimination and harassment claims. Patricia also has particular experience of advice and representation on restrictive covenants, and associated sports law litigation.

DISCIPLINARY AND REGULATORY SPORTS LAW

Patricia has an established background in complex financial services and regulatory litigation, including work for the Financial Services Authority, the Guernsey and Jersey Financial Services Authority and the Guernsey Office of Utility Regulation. This experience has enabled Patricia to develop the disciplinary and regulatory aspects of her sports law practice for both individual sportsmen and women, in addition to clubs and organisations.

SPORTS LAW CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE AND PERSONAL INJURY

Patricia accepts instructions from both individuals and organisations on all cases of negligence resulting in injury across a range of major professional and amateur sports. Patricia has a particular interest in claims of vicarious liability of sports clubs and professional sporting organisations, having recently represented (as sole counsel) a group of claimants in the Supreme Court on the issue of the law of vicarious liability of employers: Catholic Child Welfare Society & Ors v Various claimants & Ors [2012] UKSC 56.

Patricia is a member of BASL.