Jonny Madill

Jonny Madill is a Partner in the Sports and Esports Group at Sheridans, a leading sports and entertainment law firm based in London. He joined Sheridans in 2015 after training and qualifying at leading Irish firm A&L Goodbody. Jonny’s practice focuses on the many legal and commercial issues affecting the world of sport and esports and he advises international athletes, agents, governing bodies, federations, rights holders, marketing and digital agencies, sports tech and data companies, content platforms, influencer talent and esports brands.
 
Jonny was named in the Sport for Business 30-under-30 of future Irish sporting leaders in 2019 and is also an independent board member of the Northern Ireland Football League. Furthermore, he is a co-founder of the Digital Sport Club, a network of like-minded young professionals working within the digital, sports and creative industries. Jonny regularly speaks on panels and at sports industry events on a range of issues and contributes to various sports media outlets. He also hosts the Sheridans Sport 'BackPage' podcast along with others from the Sheridans Sport team.
 
You can follow him on Twitter at @jonnymadill07 and @sheridanssport. 

1. Have you always wanted to work in sport? When did you first gain an interest in sports law?

Looking back, I was always quite obsessed with sport growing up – whether playing or watching – and it’s fair to say I was probably always destined to end up with sport as my career! I wasn’t talented enough to become a professional athlete so becoming a sports journalist was probably my earliest career goal. During my final year of studying Law at university, I realised that a career within the business of sport as a lawyer was something I was passionate about and became incredibly motivated to pursue. I was fortunate to be lectured by Professor Jack Anderson (one of the leading sports law academics worldwide) in his new sports law module and, looking back, I suppose that experience was a bit of a defining moment. My objective after graduating was to get the best possible training I could, and I had a great 3 years or so training and qualifying as a commercial/IP lawyer at A&L Goodbody in Belfast and Dublin. I was fortunate to get some exposure to sports work, and also used this time to build a network and my own profile and become as knowledgeable as possible in the business of sport and the key legal issues underpinning the industry. This was invaluable in helping me land a role as a sports specialist lawyer.

2. Tell us a bit about the Sheridans Sport journey since you joined in 2015?

When I joined the team as an associate, Andrew Nixon had recently taken over as Head of Sport and had a vision to create and develop a market-leading leading Sports and Esports Group, so it was an incredible opportunity to be part of that journey from the outset and to be given a platform to build my own practice. I joined at the same time as Daniel Geey and, not long after that, Chris Paget – it was a fantastic experience working with and learning from these two and Andrew, and the four of us growing the Sheridans Sport brand and following that vision. We’ve scaled considerably since then and established the leading Esports department in the market as well as a large practice within burgeoning sectors such as sports data, and influencer talent – which represents a large part of my current practice and what I do. I feel very fortunate to have been part of such a great journey and to have had the opportunity to work with some incredible clients across sport and entertainment, and hopefully there is plenty more to come.

3. What is the most rewarding part of working in the sports industry?

For me, it's having an opportunity to make a difference and a positive contribution to people's careers and lives within sport. A lot of my work involves working with or for athletes and talent – the reality is sport and entertainment wouldn’t exist without individual talent as they ultimately underpin the industry from a commercial perspective. Whether it's an international footballer, an Olympic athlete, a professional gamer or an online content creator, it's rewarding to see them achieve their goals and make a positive contribution to their career on and off the pitch. On top of that, having the opportunity to meet interesting and inspiring people is hugely rewarding: unlike some other sectors, sport is about more than just business to so many as it affects people's daily lives, which means you find yourself building personal relationships and friendships rather than just business relationships.

4. Please could you describe a typical ‘Day in the Life of Jonny Madill’? 

Good question! The great thing about being a sports and entertainment lawyer is that every day is different. Anyone who knows me will probably be aware that there will be some form of physical activity in there somewhere – whether early morning, lunchtime or evening. So a run, gym session, or hockey training. Our Sheridans Sport offices are in Soho in London so up until Covid-19 a typical day would usually involve at least 2 or 3 meetings in or around central London with clients or contacts within the industry. One of the fortunate things about my role is the variety of clients I work with and types of issues that I will advise on. Today, as an example, I am drafting an endorsement agreement between a Premier League footballer and a brand; negotiating the suite of contracts that make up a social media brand campaign for an influencer marketing agency; and advising on an appeal by a professional club to a decision by a league to curtail a season due to COVID-19 - each of which are enjoyable and challenging for very different reasons! Ultimately, my role requires a broad skillset and a wide range of core specialisms: from commercial rights, to intellectual property, to player and agency contracts, to governance and regulation, to data and technology to name but a few – so every day can be different. I also have a growing number of clients back in Ireland so would often find myself in Belfast or Dublin too. I usually try and find some time in each day to stay abreast of some of the developments within the industry – whether via Twitter or key sports/esports industry platforms, and, if time allows, start planning our next BackPage blog or podcast episode.

5. What advice would you give to students and lawyers aspiring to become sports lawyers? 

Firstly, the reality is you have to separate yourself from the crowd given how competitive the industry is. For every aspiring sports lawyer there are probably a hundred or more others in the same position. Looking back at my career journey, the importance of building a network, finding mentors and immersing yourself in the sector is invaluable – there is so much scope to access quality content online nowadays that the opportunity has never been greater to upskill and become a thought leader through the content you consume and create. It’s also important to recognise how the industry is changing and where future opportunities will lie – for example, how sports content is distributed and consumed; and how technology and data continues to change sport as a sector. There are innovative and creative ways of getting valuable experience too - whether writing, looking for voluntary roles at sports organisations, using digital platforms or setting up a podcast.

​The importance of becoming a good technical lawyer can be easily overlooked – getting a good degree and the best possible training should be the starting point for any aspiring sports lawyer and growing your profile and your personal brand, your industry knowledge and your network can be built around that. Perhaps most importantly, however, there is no replacement for hard work. There will be long hours, mistakes and setbacks along the way but if you are persistent and resilient, you have a clear plan, and you are passionate and motivated about sport and building a career in sport, then you're on the right track.