Interview with Sarah Boulton
Sarah is a litigator specialising in the sports sector and is one of Northridge’s newest partners. She works with governing bodies, clubs, players and other commercial parties in relation to litigation, arbitration, disciplinary and regulatory proceedings. She is recognised as a ‘Key Lawyer’ in Legal 500 for Sport.
How did you get to where you are now?
I grew up in Yorkshire and studied law at Durham. I trained and qualified at DLA Piper in Leeds, leaving at 2 years qualified to join the in-house legal team at The FA. At The FA, I advised on all aspects of The FA’s legal and governance work but was particularly involved in the restructure of the women’s game and the establishment of the FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship. Whilst I was at The FA, I completed the BASL/De Montfort Law School Diploma in Sports Law and Practice and the UEFA/Université de Lausanne Certificate in Football Management.
After 4 years at The FA, I moved back to private practice, joining the litigation team at Northridge (then in its second year). I was promoted to partner in April 2024.
Please tell us about some particular career highlights.
My work in women’s football has been a particular high point. Resolving the issues that have arisen over the years has been challenging, incredibly interesting and, on many occasions, groundbreaking (such as the recent transfer of The FA’s ownership of the top two tiers of women’s professional football in England to a new independent company, Women’s Professional Leagues Limited). The increase in popularity and profile of the women’s game in recent years alongside that work has really emphasised its importance.
Another recent highlight was acting on the arbitration proceedings brought by various agencies in relation to the domestic implementation of FIFA’s reformed agent regulations. It is rare to act on a matter as complex as that on such an expedited timetable.
Why should candidates consider Northridge?
If you want to be a sports lawyer, Northridge offers the best possible start to your career given that trainees are immersed in the sector from the outset. Trainees work alongside highly experienced lawyers who are the leaders in their field on some of the most exciting and high profile sports related matters. Northridge is recognised by the leading directories as one of the top ranked firms for sports law advice yet it has remained small in size meaning that we have a strong inclusive culture where everyone’s opinion is valued and colleagues are considered friends.
In your view, what sets a candidate apart during the selection process for a training contract?
The candidates who have impressed me the most over the years are those who have a clear rationale for why they want to work in sports law and why they want to do so at Northridge, as well as having an awareness of the legal issues faced in the sports sector and by our clients.
I do also look for the basics to be right, particularly in any written work produced by candidates during the selection process such as the application form and any written assessments. Candidates should check and double check for typos, accuracy and clarity. Trainees are expected to be able to prepare client facing communications from the outset of their training contracts and so, to be successful, candidates need to instil confidence in us that there are not fundamental concerns in this regard.
Should candidates give up on their dream of becoming a sports lawyer, if they do not obtain a training contract at Northridge?
No – as my own experience and that of many others within the firm demonstrates, there is no one fixed route to becoming a sports lawyer. If you are unsuccessful in your efforts to get a training contract at Northridge, look to other places which will give you the highest quality training and seek out any opportunities to get involved in sports law whilst doing so (whether that is, for example, seeking to work on sports related matters within another firm or by pursuing sports law qualifications in your own time).
