Interview with Ian Lynam
Ian is one of the founding partners of Northridge, leading the non-contentious side of the firm’s practice. He is widely recognised as a leading lawyer in the sports sector.
Ian’s expertise includes the financial regulation of sport (including salary caps and financial fair play), mergers and acquisitions, financing, governance, integrity, rules and regulations, sponsorship agreements, player transfers, player contracts and image rights. Ian is also the partner accountable for diversity and inclusion within the firm.
How did you get to where you are now?
Having grown up in Limerick, I completed a law degree in Dublin where I then trained and qualified at Arthur Cox. I moved to London and joined the M&A team at Slaughter & May. By chance, I had an opportunity to work on a sports law matter there. I thought it was likely to be a growing sector so, by the time I moved to Charles Russell (as it then was) I focussed on developing my expertise and experience within that area. A core group of us built a successful practice there – so much so and in light of the opportunities we could see, we left to set up our own firm, Northridge, in 2017.
Please tell us about some particular career highlights.
There’s no doubt it has been helping to set up Northridge. Lawyers don’t usually get the opportunity to feel like start-up founders, and getting the opportunity to help shape the form and culture of a modern, high-performing law firm has been very rewarding.
The first half of 2022 in which our team advised on Spotify's landmark partnership with FC Barcelona and the multi-billion pound sales of Chelsea FC and AC Milan was an exciting time, and the perfect validation of Northridge’s USP – the law firm that sport turns to when the stakes are highest.
Why should candidates consider Northridge?
Northridge offers a fantastic opportunity for those who are already committed to a legal career in the sports sector. We do market leading work on some of the highest profile matters for a wide variety of sports clients. Our narrow sector focus means that trainees do not need to spend the majority of their training contracts in departments unrelated to sport (as is generally the case in the other firms that have a sizeable sports law practice). At the same time, however, the high-quality training and experience our trainees obtain covers the skills and legal knowledge that are applicable across, for example, dispute resolution or commercial law more generally and so trainees are in no way solely boxed into a niche area.
Our size means that we can support each member of our team as individuals and have the ability to be innovative in our approach to how we work and operate. The team really does know each other well and I’m proud of the close, collegiate environment that we have within the firm.
In your view, what sets a candidate apart during the selection process for a training contract?
We have no rigid rules about what boxes a candidate needs to tick to be successful at any stage of the assessment process. This means that the team reviewing application forms or those involved later in the process can be really open minded about what makes a successful candidate. Our assessment process gives us an excellent opportunity to get to know candidates and develop a good sense of their abilities, with our week-long Vacation Schemes giving us the chance to work alongside them.
Successful candidates must demonstrate intellect – the rigours of a lawyer’s role demand it. Whilst we certainly take into account academic excellence evidenced by exam results, we also seek not to exclude candidates whose results at school or university may not align with their potential.
We also look for a clear interest in and commitment to sports law. We don’t have preconceived ideas about the form this should take, particularly as we recognise that people may have had different opportunities to gain experience in the sector, or none at all.
Otherwise, we are ultimately looking for signs that a candidate has the resilience and motivation, plus the team working and communication skills required to work on matters when the stakes are highest for our clients.
Should candidates give up on their dream of becoming a sports lawyer, if they do not obtain a training contract at Northridge?
Absolutely not! Whilst I obviously believe that training here is the best possible start to a sports lawyer’s career, there are a multitude of other routes to becoming a sports lawyer, as the majority of the team here demonstrate.
My advice for candidates is always to look to train at the best firm you can that practices in the core areas relevant to the sports sector (for example, corporate, commercial and commercial litigation rather than, say, a family law practice). Obtaining the highest quality training and experience in those areas (and considering a post-graduate qualification in sports law along the way) will put you in the best position to make a move into the sports sector in the future.
