Tim Grey

Tim Grey is a barrister at Old Square Chambers. With expertise in the areas of contempt, fraud, regulation and discipline, Tim also specialises in sports law. He is instructed by a range of clients in relation to sports regulation, especially in the fields of misconduct, anti-doping, and gambling. He frequently appears in FA disciplinary proceedings and is experienced in cricket and athletics regulation. Outside Chambers (https://oldsquare.co.uk/people/tim-grey/), Tim is a Judicial Chair for the British Horseracing Authority, a Disciplinary Board Member of British Cycling, and Independent Judicial Panel Member of the Rugby Football Union.

1. When did your interest in sports law begin?
   
I have always been interested in sport, and as a lawyer the opportunity to combine my interest with my professional skills is appealing. In those moments when I was watching rugby or football and questioning the refereeing decisions, as I think we all have done, I realised that doing that could be part of my job, which was rather exciting.

2. How were you able to first gain instructions in the sport sector?   

Probably luck as much as anything! I have worked in professional regulation of other types for many years. When there was an opportunity to get involved in the work of the RFU as a Judicial Panel Member, it was too good to turn down. That in turn led me to work with the FA and in a number of other sports. 

One of the best things about sports law is you are constantly learning new things about new sports. There are still sports out there about which I know nothing and I’m keen to learn - kite surfing here I come!

3. Please can you describe a case that you have worked on?  

Some of my most interesting recent work has involved horse racing.

Dealing with a jockey who was found, on a random drug test, to have ridden with a banned substance in his system might ordinarily be thought to be a straight forward doping case. In one of the cases I was involved with that substance was cocaine. It became clear there was an underlying drug issue for the rider which brought with it a threat to equine and public safety. 

Whilst it was clear the jockey had to be suspended from riding pending evidence of abstinence from further use of drugs, it was extremely important that the jockey understood the seriousness of his conduct, but also that there was a way of putting his career back together, after what was clearly a devastating time in his life.

Part of sports regulation has to be about the welfare of participants. That means recognising when participants are struggling with physical or mental health issues, with substance abuse issues or with the need for emotional support.
 
4. How have you found the move to Old Square Chambers?  

I was delighted to join Old Square a few weeks ago, and that excitement hasn’t abated. It is a tremendously supportive and collegiate environment with experts across a broad range of disciplines including sports law. I’m loving it!

5. What are some current legal trends that you are seeing in sport at the moment?  

The interesting developments in football agents fees suggests we are heading towards greater codification in particular in terms of financial fair play. The recent issues around Everton’s financial misconduct and of course the long awaited Manchester City case, suggests there is going to be a lot more to come in football.
 
The continued concern around concussion protocols in rugby and other full contact sports is, in my view, only likely to become even more high profile over the next few years.

6. Do you have any predictions for the future of sports law?  

I think the likely next big issue will be around illegal gambling, albeit the Ivan Toney case and the high profile snooker case have both signalled that.
 
An area of real potential growth may yet be around discrimination in sport. Some sports have coped admirably with the culture shift that was required to reset perceptions of sporting participation, others still have a long way to go!

7. What is your proudest professional achievement?    

Sometimes I have to take a moment and realise how lucky I have been to make it to the Bar and to work in areas of law that genuinely interest me. That feeling of luck perhaps means I don’t tend to feel pride in my achievements, just a sense of good fortune. However, I tend to take pride in doing the best job I can, although it’s always nice to win! 

I recently represented a solicitor in High Court proceedings brought against him which were potentially ruinous for his career and of little merit. It was a moment of real fulfilment to see the relief and joy for him and his family after we achieved a successful outcome and I guess I felt a bit proud of that.

8. What are the rewards and challenges of working in sports law?
 
Working to improve and enhance the quality of something you and others enjoy is something lawyers don’t often get to do. Knowing that I’m helping participants and those involved to make sport even better is extremely rewarding, particularly when I’m watching live sport and can feel that in some way I’ve played a very small part in the whole enterprise.

In the area of sports regulation, every sport organises itself slightly differently. Adapting to that internal framework can be challenging. Simple things like the RFU banning players by numbers of weeks as opposed to the FA banning players by the number of games, can lead to very substantial procedural and evidential adaptations.

9. What advice would you give to aspiring sports lawyers?
 
Anyone trying to make their way in this sector would be unwise to try and specialise too early. Whilst there is a lot of “sports law” out there, relatively few lawyers practice exclusively in sports law. Fortunately, the principles and areas of law that sports law involves exposed me to the opportunity to get actively involved in the sector. In short, hone your skills in a general area of law, most likely regulation, employment or commercial and then look to specialise.

10. Please can you describe a typical day in your life? 
 
The great thing about life at the Bar is there is no typical day. However, assuming I’m not in Court I tend to work at home, often conducting hearings remotely. 
 
I am up by 6am most mornings and begin working around 7.30. Most of the hearings I am involved in begin at 9.30 in sports cases and tend to sit until 4.30, with an hour for lunch. At lunchtime I try and do something active, even if it’s just walking the dog!
 
At the end of the hearing day I will often have a meeting with a client in another case, or will have work to do for the next day. I try to stop work as close to 6pm as possible, but depending upon how busy things are, that may prove a distant prospect - 11pm and later certainly isn’t unheard of.
 
In the evenings I find I need to try and switch off, either by going to the gym, spending time with my children watching sport or watching something on TV - anything so long as it’s not a court room drama! I’m late to the party but I’m currently half way through Peaky Blinders. I have a new-found respect for Birmingham!