Laura Gould

Laura Gould is a barrister at Old Square Chambers and boasts particular expertise in sports law. For example, Laura frequently presents cases for the Rugby Football Union and sits on appeals for British Cycling. Additionally, Laura has delivered advice on the application of FA Agent Regulations, national governing body transgender participation policies and anti-doping arbitration disputes. In 2023, she acted for the World number 1 seed squash player, Mostafa Asal, in disciplinary appeal proceedings.[1] Such experience has contributed to Laura’s Band 1 ranking in Sport by Chambers and Partners.[2]

1. Had you always envisaged working in the sport sector as a lawyer?
 
Not so much envisaged, as hoped. I was involved in so many different sports as a child and had initially wanted to join the Army because I thought that would give me the opportunity to play sports and enjoy an active lifestyle. When I was in high school, the work experience that I had arranged with the Army fell through and I had to find something quickly. My Mum said, ‘What are you interested in?’, and I said, ‘Sports and politics – haha I’ll be Minister of Sport’. It just happened that Kate Hoey MP had finished in the role of Minister of Sport and was coming to my constituency to open a local athletics track. I got in touch with her and luckily, she was very helpful and someone that took on work experience students. I ended up doing work experience for her over several years. So, sports regulation and the impact of sport on society was an early interest. It was later that that I decided to pursue a career in the law. I was aware that it was going to be difficult to break into the world of sports law. It was therefore something I always hoped to do, but had I envisaged it would actually work out? Not necessarily, but I didn’t let that put me off. 

2. When and how did gaining work in sport come about?

It started off from my work experience. Whilst Kate was not Minister of Sport at that time, a lot of her interests were in that area. The work I assisted her on often involved sport, because she knew that was where my interests lay. When I started my pupillage, training as a barrister, I made my interest in sports law known. At the time, one of the senior members of chambers, Mary O’Rourke KC, was defending Dr. Wendy Chapman, the doctor in the ‘Bloodgate’ GMC prosecution. I gained a huge amount of experience observing such an important case. 
 
I relied on the same attitude and approach that really has helped me to build my career at the Bar; making it known what I am interested in and being prepared to roll my sleeves up and take whatever comes my way. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. As a barrister, if you want to develop work in a particular area, you have to put yourself out there and find the work experience you need to start receiving your own work. As a very junior barrister, this approach led to more senior and established sports law practitioners allowing me to shadow and assist them on cases; then, when they were not available to take on a case, they referred work to me. This is something I have come to know as ‘sponsorship’ rather than ‘mentorship’; my sponsors recognised my efforts and promoted me to their clients. Steve Flynn and Martin Budworth were great sponsors, helping me to build my career. It is something that I have tried to do as well when I have been in the same position. 

3. Are there any particular areas of sports law that interest you?
 
The variety of work is part of what makes sports law so interesting. Whether it’s arguing about technical points of arbitration clauses and enforcement, or anti-doping through to discrimination disciplinary proceedings, across a range of sports. I enjoy learning about less well-known sports, and it is fun being involved with sports that I participate in – that is one of the reasons why I sit on appeal panels for British Cycling, because I am a keen mountain biker and occasional racer. 
 
My favourite thing about my job is being a trial advocate. That is a regular feature of my other area of practice, employment law, as well as my sports law work. I have acted in quite a lot of sports cases involving allegations of race discrimination in recent years. These cases often come down to the trial advocacy, how you present a particular case. Many of my cases are held online, which adds an additional challenge asking questions and reading the ‘room’ as the advocate. I think the increase in cases involving allegations of race discrimination may be a sign of national governing bodies and sports organisations at local level taking complaints more seriously, as well as participants increasingly feeling able to make complaints.

Sports law and employment law are also practice areas that can affect many people on a day-to-day basis, without them having done anything wrong. Additionally, most people have a vague idea of what their rights are. This ‘real life’ and ‘day to day’ application of the law is something that I particularly enjoy about my job. A current area of sports regulation that has this ‘real world’ application is the access of transgender and non-binary people to participate and compete in sport. This is a topic that there is a lot of opinion expressed about and it shows how sport can affect wider society. 
 
4. What is your proudest result in a sports matter?
 
This was a case where I defended an individual accused of race discrimination. The complaint and defence were both based on oral accounts of what had happened, rather than written evidence. The case involved a young person early in their professional career in sport. I had to make some careful decisions about how I going to approach the evidence, in an online hearing with a fairly short amount of time to hear the case. The case involved misunderstandings with potentially very serious consequences, so there was a real pressure on me to convey the defendant’s case to the panel. We were successful, with the allegations being dismissed. There would have been a huge career impact if it had gone the other way. This was an instance where my trial advocacy, along with the preparations of those that instructed me, made a big difference. The variables are always greater when witnesses are involved. In cases like this, it is not just people’s careers, but also their livelihoods and their passions that you are asked to look after. Those wins are a huge high, but they are also a huge relief when they go well. 
 
5. What makes being instructed on sports disputes unique?

There is a huge variety in so many aspects of the work. For a start, the work I receive does not always come from a solicitor, and the other side may not be represented. That is where coming from an employment law background helps, because I regularly act against litigants-in-person in the employment tribunal. I am used to new matters being raised on the day of a hearing or not being set out very clearly, and having to think clearly under pressure, roll my sleeves up and get on with it. The cases can be quite quick to reach a hearing and they can be very emotional for the parties involved. 
 
Hearings are often held in the evening, as many of those involved are not professional sportspeople. That can lead to really late finishes. Now, the majority of hearings are online, which has its positives and its negatives, but it still means a late finish and a long day in front of a screen. 
 
The variety of sports that I have been involved also makes this work unique. It means I have to get to grips with a different set of regulations on many occasions. This can affect even fundamental principles, such as whether there is a fixed or a shifting standard of proof, depending on the seriousness of the allegations. 
 
There can also be a wide range of the type of work you are instructed to do. For example, I sit as a panel member for British Cycling appeals. That role is really interesting, working with other lawyers and experts in the sport or safeguarding etc. to decide a case. This helps me in my wider work, seeing the impact of advocacy on panels and tribunals. As another example, I sat as an independent observer on a national governing body panel selecting athletes for an international competition. That relied on my skills as a barrister but was also very different to the work I do on a daily basis. 

6. What predictions do you have for the future of sports law?

I have acted in an increasing amount of cases involving race discrimination, certainly following the international outcry in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. I expect to see these types of cases continuing, as more formal complaints are made and they are taken seriously by sports organisations. Obviously, I hope that sport reaches a point where incidents of unlawful discrimination no longer occur, but the ability to challenge behaviours, have cases properly determined and outcomes publicised is an important tool in achieving this progress.
 
Discrimination cases in sport have opened discussions not only about the allegations, but also about the culture of sports and inclusivity. I have seen proactive governing bodies implementing active bystander training, to help give people the tools and confidence to challenge poor behaviours. This can be a key issue, for example, in team sports, where some individuals still refer to discriminatory behaviour as ‘banter’. 
 
These issues again draw analogies with employment law. For example, employment legislation exists to protect whistleblowers and those who make complaints of discrimination; but it is also necessary that employees and workers know of these rights, know how to blow the whistle, and that colleagues and companies know how to respond appropriately. This should include protecting the whistleblower/complainant from victimisation, but it may also include ongoing pro-active support for a whistleblower. Whilst sports are catching up in having policies to provide these protections, it is vital those policies are known by all those involved in the sport and actually put into effect.
 
It is important that decisions and inquiry reports are published and that other sports learn from these findings. This may be a painful learning process for some. That therefore adds to my prediction, that there will be sports which lead by example, challenging discriminatory behaviours in fair and open processes, as well as making changes to their culture and procedures at all levels and providing appropriate support to the parties involved. I would hope that will bring others along and set a good example for other, perhaps smaller, sports to follow.
 
7. What advice would you give aspiring sports lawyers?

It should be easier in some ways for an aspiring sports lawyer to learn about sports law than when I was starting out. There is now a far greater availability of discussion on specialist sports law blogs and websites, as well as chambers’ and law firms’ webpages. If you are genuinely interested in sports law, then the information is readily available to read around and stay on top of. That being said, I think the move to online working means that there is not always as much opportunity to meet people at in-person events. As a result, you should take the opportunity to meet people when it arises. Take a deep breath and go and introduce yourself to other attendees, listen to the talks, be respectful and do not take up too much of people’s time, but you have got to take that opportunity to network.
 
There is great work done by organisations like LawInSport for students, including the Sports Law Arbitration Moot. Get involved with those opportunities. When applying for a role, do not just say that you are interested in sports law, but tell the person recruiting you what you have done to actually demonstrate that. Being able to say, ‘I have watched this talk because I found this particular topic interesting’ or ‘I read about your case etc.’ is great; students think everyone is doing that in their applications, but most are not. 
 
Once you are in a firm or chambers, make your interest and intentions known and try to find colleagues who you can learn from. You could also try to find others who have the same interests as you, who you can work with to develop your practices. Most people will be happy to help if they can. Offer your assistance, ask if there is anything you can do now or to be considered for in the future, and appreciate they might be busy and that you might have to take no for an answer. Start by flagging your interest and your passion, showing that you are genuine and prepared to work hard. What can go wrong from that starting point? 

[1] https://oldsquare.co.uk/people/laura-gould/  
[2] https://chambers.com/lawyer/laura-gould-uk-bar-14:1242774