21 www.lawyer-monthly.com LAWYER MONTHLY LEGAL AWARDS 2021 UNITED KINGDOM tickets and hospitality; liaising with governments with respect to entry and exit requirements, COVID-19 measures and stadia requirements; onsite assistance in relation to brand protection and ticketing, and obtaining and coordinating advice across Europe. What motivates your team to achieve the best possible results for your clients? The Sports Law practice at Armstrong Teasdale is not a side-line or occasional area of interest. It is the core and sole focus of the department’s work. As such, we really do believe that many of our longstanding sporting clients see us as an extension of their business, rather than just an external law firm who they instruct occasionally. For example, for many of our clients, our work has gone beyond that of legal advice and expanded into event management and delivery. In addition, achieving the right results for our clients is key in ensuring we both maintain our reputation as one of the leading firms in Sports Law and in retaining our unrivalled list of clients. How do you measure your success? Aside from the volume of deals agreed, the number of events staged and the key litigation successes, all assisted by the advice we have provided, the key barometers of measuring success are the breadth of sports we cover, the retention of established clients and the gaining of new clients. Over the last year, the firm has attracted further clients in this sector, many of which have come to us via referrals, and has expanded and developed the work carried out for longstanding clients. In what ways has the team developed in the past 12 months? Developing and expanding our team is essential to our success. We have amassed a team of talented and engaged individuals and strive to create an innovative atmosphere that encourages cooperation, teamwork, and trust among its members. Three new solicitors have joined the department in the last year alone and this allows us to handle an ever-increasing volume of work, whilst also broadening our depth of experience (for example, in technology). We also have expanded our team geographically – collaborating with our new US colleagues. Can you tell us anything about the team’s plans for the coming year? In 2020 and 2021, we expanded our technology practice within the sporting sector, and we expect this area to grow significantly over the coming year, particularly in relation to virtual/augmented reality, the metaverse, cryptocurrency and nonfungible tokens. We already regularly advise on contracts for tech services, whether as provider or procurer, including managed or outsourced services and SaaS and on legal and regulatory challenges of dealing in or with the tech sector, from privacy/GDPR issues to financial services regulation, especially in emerging technologies including blockchain, AI/machine learning, smart contracts, and nanotechnology. To further strengthen this, we are actively looking to bring highly experienced patent lawyers on board in the UK. This will further enhance our ability to provide management service across all stages of the innovation life cycle. Our team will continue to grow its presence as a ‘Leading Firm’ for Sports Law through thought leadership such as speaking opportunities at top sports conferences like LawInSport and the British Association for Sport and Law annual conference. We will be developing a series of communications and webinars, and we will continue to share critical legal updates and new insights on hot topics as the year moves forward.
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