Managing Associate, Northridge

Paul is a Managing Associate at Northridge. He specialises in commercial and regulatory advice to clients in the sports and media sectors. Paul’s experience includes acting for athletes, brands and rights holders on sponsorship, licensing and merchandising programmes. He also regularly advises on governance issues and financial regulation in the sport and on player contracts, football transfers and image rights structures.

Partner, Northridge
 
Paul specialises in commercial and regulatory advice to clients in the sports and media sectors. Paul’s experience includes acting for athletes, brands and rights holders on sponsorship, licensing and merchandising programmes. He also regularly advises on governance issues and financial regulation in the sport and on player contracts, football transfers and image rights structures. In addition, Paul has particular experience in establishing new sports tournaments and competitions and advising on event hosting.
 
Recent work highlights include advising on: Betway’s global sponsorship programme; restructuring The FA Women’s Super League; a variety of endorsement deals for Dele Alli, Neymar Jr., Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry; a range of sports marketing and merchandising matters for Puma; and various transfers and contract negotiations in the 2020 summer window.
 
Paul has a wide range of in house experience having been on secondment to The FA, where he advised on their commercial rights programme, and Nike, where he advised on the merchandising programme for Nike’s key football assets. Paul is also a non-executive director of England Handball.
 
Paul has completed the BASL/ De Montfort Law School Diploma in Sports Law and Practice with distinction and has returned to lecture on the course. Paul is a regular contributor to various legal publications.  He speaks at conferences (including LawInSport) and on university courses and has appeared as a legal commentator in The Telegraph, The Independent, Sky Sports News and BBC Sport.
 
Paul is described by clients in Legal 500 as “an excellent strategist – exactly the sort of lawyer you want on your side” and is praised for his “clear, commercial and thorough advice”.

Email: paul.shapiro@northridgelaw.com
T +44 (0) 20 3957 8810
M +44 (0) 7977 060881