Andrew Street

Andrew Street is a Senior Associate and Solicitor Advocate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Based in the firm’s Litigation and Corporate Risk department in London, Andrew is an experienced advisor on sports disputes. Indeed, he has been recognised as a ‘key name’ and an ‘associate to watch’ in Sport by The Legal 500 and Chambers respectively.[1]

1) How did you first start working as a lawyer in sport?

I have always been a fanatical fan of sports, and football in particular, but my prime focus when I started my training contract at BLP (BCLP’s legacy London firm) was just to be a disputes lawyer. So that was what I worked towards as a trainee. That aim coincided with being offered the opportunity during my fourth training contract seat (in our commercial disputes team) to work with one of the group’s partners, Graham Shear, who is very well known for his track record of work in football related matters, on a case in FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber. I absolutely loved the fast-paced nature of the work and the mental rigour required. The first few cases I acted on ended quite successfully, so I tried to do more of that type of work and have been acting on sports related disputes ever since!

2) What do you think makes working as a lawyer in sport unique?

The huge interest that the public has in the work, including the cases and how they are reported, is close to being unique. Cases involving famous people invariably generate headlines, but sports work is somewhat different - supporters appear genuinely fascinated in the technical detail of sports law and the outcome of the disputes. That public interest gives rise to reputational issues for our clients that need to be considered at all points of a case or matter; it is not only legal risks that the clients have in mind. Sports work is also unique given the extent to which political issues always need to be considered, whether in government involvement or the politics of the various bodies.

3) Please can you tell us about a sports dispute that you have worked on recently?

Many of the cases I act upon are dealt with by way of private arbitration or disciplinary proceedings, so the details are often confidential. By way of general examples, I recently represented an international sporting federation at CAS in relation to a challenge to the validity of the election of its president. I have also recently finished a Rule K arbitration for a Premier League player brought by him by an alleged former agent for payment of fees.  

4) What are some of the rewards and challenges of working in the sports industry?

It is genuinely a fascinating area. The clients are often highly commercial and used to working in a fast-paced industry - flexibility and concise but definitive advice are key. That means that the work is often exciting and tests advisers’ mental agility and responsiveness. That can be a challenge too – the hours can sometimes be long and the turnaround times short – but I enjoy that kind of pace of work. 

5) Do you have any predictions for future legal developments in sport?

There is a significant clamour for greater transparency in sports disciplinary matters and disputes. I think that will continue – the public appears no longer to be content for everything to be dealt with behind closed doors and ‘within the game’. There is also the issue of greater government intervention, particularly in football, in the UK. The good legal advisers need to take a very close interest in those policy developments. 

6) What advice would you give to aspiring sports lawyers?

I have seen this advice stated elsewhere, and it is correct. Focus on the fundamentals and make sure that your primary aim is to be an excellent lawyer above all else. There is no point in knowing everything about the industry if your legal advice is not top notch and backed up by strong technical skills. My clients in sports absolutely want me to understand their industry – there are particularities to sport which good sports lawyers need to understand – but ultimately it is the legal advice they are paying for. That requires lawyers to know their stuff.
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7) Please can you describe a typical day in your life?

Every day is different, so it is a little difficult to describe a typical day, and I think it is one of the reasons I love being a litigator. We are there to solve our clients’ problems, and the form of that solution will vary from case to case. It is usually the atypical days that tend to stick out most – going to CAS at the end of last year for a hearing was a highlight after prior hearings that I had attended there were all conducted by Zoom given the pandemic. Attending hearings at Wembley Stadium is always fun too!


[1] www.legal500.com/c/london/tmt-technology-media-and-telecoms/sport/; https://chambers.com/legal-rankings/sport-uk-wide-1:648:11805:1