Personal Legal Advice for Sportspeople

Discreet, efficient personal and family legal advice for high-profile individuals across sport.

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We represent high-profile individuals and their families across the world of sport — providing tailored, strategic, award-winning legal advice at the times it’s needed most.

Our clients include professional athletes, coaches, managers, officials and senior executives at all levels of sport, including those looking to exit the industry for retirement or job changes. We also work closely with agents, professional advisors and in-house legal teams to help sportspeople and their families easily access the advice they need.

It’s all part of our Brabners Personal offering, which brings together award-winning solicitors from our family, private client, employment and reputation management and privacy teams to offer seamless and always-on access to our full range of legal solutions.

Dedicated to achieving your long-term life objectives, we’re highly experienced in providing proactive, strategic and multi-generational advice on family governance, wealth management and all manner of private legal issues. Our legal expertise includes building families, family breakdowns and disputes that often involve children or complex assets.

Get in touch with our experts today by calling 0333 004 4488, emailing hello@brabners.com or completing our contact form.

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An award-winning track record in advising professional sportspeople & athletes

We’re used to helping people in the spotlight and boast the team that led Coleen Rooney’s victory in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial. We’ve also managed the profile of other well-known individuals, including Michael Vaughan OBE, Ben Stokes OBE, Wayne Rooney and a number of Premier League players and coaching staff.

Recognised as a ‘Top Tier’ sports law firm by The Legal 500, our multidisciplinary sports law team stands out for being “able to anticipate what sports clients want, even before they know it themselves”. We're commended in The Times Best Law Firms and are proud to have a national reputation in helping to shape the UK’s sports law landscape.

We also won the award for Best Business or Professional Services Organisation Serving Football at the North West Football Awards 2025, the Technology Media and Telecoms Team of the Year at The Legal 500 Awards 2023 and Spears Magazine Reputation Lawyer of the Year 2022. We're further shortlisted for Best Professional Services Company Serving Football at the Football Business Awards 2026.

Meet the team

Watch: How our lawyers will protect your reputation

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Recognised as a top-tier firm

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“One of the best-known sports law solicitors' firms in the North West of England, handling a range of matters on behalf of athletes, agents and others. Genuine knowledge of the sector.”
Client feedback, Legal 500, 2027

“One of the top dogs in the sports sector.”
Client feedback, Legal 500, 2026

“Brabners have a great reputation team. They are friendly, approachable and very competent.”
Client feedback, Legal 500, 2026

“Brabners is noted for its expertise in wealth protection, financial remedy, children, international and fertility work.”
Legal 500, 2026

“Amongst the market leaders for [sports] work. Excellent knowledge and contacts in the industry.”
Client feedback, Legal 500, 2026

Our legal services for sportspeople & athletes include:

Case highlights

Coleen Rooney

Representing Coleen Rooney in her successful defence against the libel claim brought by Rebekah Vardy. The ‘Wagatha Christie’ case was one of the most high-profile libel cases in UK history. We acted as the lead strategist and legal advisor for the case.

Michael Vaughan OBE

Representing Michael Vaughan OBE (former England cricket captain and broadcaster) in connection with allegations made against him as part of the Yorkshire Country Cricket Club (Azeem Rafiq) racism scandal. Vaughan was cleared of all charges brought against him before the Cricket Disciplinary Commission panel.

Wayne Rooney

Providing Wayne Rooney with urgent crisis management advice after private photos of him were published online and in the tabloid press. Our expertise and ingenuity led to the matter being successfully resolved and all the photos being taken down.

Ben Stokes OBE

Representing Ben Stokes OBE (England international cricketer and test team captain) and his mother (Deborah Stokes) in connection with their invasion of privacy claim against News Group Newspapers Limited (The Sun), securing substantial damages and an apology from the defendant.

Phone hacking

Acting on phone hacking claims against various tabloid newspapers.

Premier League Club Chairman

Advising a former Premier League club Chairman on the tax implications of existing trust arrangements, including the availability of tax reliefs on shareholdings worth in the region of £25m. This included managing family dynamics, tax and estate planning and long-term objectives.

Premier League players and coaching staff

Advising Premier League footballers and coaching staff (and their families) with estate planning for estates worth millions of pounds.

International football player

Advising the family of an international and Premier League footballer concerning paternity claims and media management.

Brabners is a purpose-led independent law firm.

Our independence allows us to be objective, principled and provide a service with heart and character.

We’re on a mission to make the difference for our clients, people and communities. Proudly anchored in the North since 1815, we serve all of England and Wales.