Spear’s Review

At Irwin Mitchell, Thomas Barnard is a ‘rising star’, specialising in contractual disputes, company and shareholder disputes, professional negligence claims, insurance disputes, and insolvency and restructuring matters.

He has a particular focus on the sports sector, often dealing in high-profile, cross-border cases. He has represented Otmar Szafnauer in relation to claims against Aston Martin Racing, advised UK Athletics in a range of disciplinary matters, and wrote laws for the International Netball Federation. He has also acted for figures in the music industry and the publishing sector.

Away from his client work, Barnard is a non-executive director for the London Football Association, writes a quarterly column for FC Business on legal issues affecting the football industry, and has frequently appeared on live TV and radio to comment on sports law matters.