New Year, New Resilience…

Please join our Grow Your Network Committee and our esteemed panel of speakers for our first event of the year, New Year, New Resilience.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “resilience” as “The quality or fact of being able to recover quickly or easily from, or resist being affected by, a misfortune, shock, illness, etc.”, a skill that can be crucial in both a personal and professional capacity!

The beginning of the year is a particularly exciting time for a number of reasons – not only is it a time for reflection on the things that worked well (or not so well) last year, but also a time for inspiration, whether that be the inspiration gained from learning more about the experiences of others around you, or simply the inspiration needed to set (and then stick to) your new year’s resolutions.

Our fantastic panel, combining speakers from a variety of career pathways within the sports industry, will discuss their own feelings towards the term “resilience”, how they have had to bounce back from adversity, and the ways in which their own resilience has shaped their personal and professional successes. They will also share some useful hints and tips to empower you as we begin to navigate 2024.

Our speakers include:

Wayne Barnes

Wayne Barnes is a former international rugby union referee and has presided over more Rugby World Cup matches than anyone else in history, including the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final, which took place in Paris in October. He is also an experienced criminal barrister, trial advocate and partner in our Government Investigations and White Collar practice, with more than two decades of experience conducting complex internal and corporate investigations across multiple jurisdictions.

With his professional rugby background as one of the world’s leading international sports officials, and his specialist legal practice, Wayne is able to bridge the worlds of law and sport. He is regularly instructed by national governing bodies, professional sports organisations, commercial sponsors and rights holders on all aspects of sports law, governance, ethics and safeguarding. He has recently conducted investigations and reviews for the British Judo Association, England Boxing and British Horseracing Authority.

Wayne is a well-established speaker, presenter and pundit, offering in-depth, expert analysis from his unique position, with an ability to explain the technicalities of law and the nuances of the global game – often sharing his insight into leadership, facing adversity, dealing with pressure and building effective teams with leading international organisations.

Alex Bailess

Alex is a medically retired footballer turned content creator and presenter, in addition to being a respiratory specialist physiotherapist.

A lover of the women’s game, her aim is to share the magic of football both on and off the pitch, from grassroots to elite level, giving an insight into the game on the pitch, in the dugouts, dressing rooms and team huddle – sharing the highs and lows of football.

Alex is an avid follower of the Women’s Super League (WSL), and she regularly appears as a guest on podcasts and radio shows to discuss the latest results and matters, capturing the atmosphere at elite level games – the Euros win being a personal highlight!

David Hull

David Hull is a partner in our Corporate Practice with more than 35 years of experience as a corporate and business transactional lawyer, specifically in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for both publicly listed and private companies. David handles cross-border issues, sophisticated financings and joint ventures.

David also has developed a niche M&A sports law practice advising on the corporate and commercial aspects of UK football transactions. Since 2008, David has advised every Midlands football club on M&A transactions – both sell side and buy side – and, nationally, has advised on 28 football club M&A transactions (buy side and sell side) – more than any other lawyer anywhere globally.

David has advised on the sale of Aston Villa three times – for Doug Ellis (2006), Randy Learner (2016) and Dr Tony Xia (2019) – and has advised Steve Morgan on the sale of Wolverhampton Wonderers, Jeremy Peace on the purchase of West Bromwich Albion, and, most recently, Knighthead Capital and Tom Brady this summer on their investment in Birmingham City.

Pardeep Lagha

Pardeep is currently a Senior Associate at Liverpool Football Club. Pardeep has a wealth of experience, which includes working across a spectrum of law firms and businesses. As a trainee solicitor at Squire Patton Boggs, she was one of five trainees in the region shortlisted as Birmingham Law Society’s Trainee of the Year. Following completion of her training contract, Pardeep qualified into the Commercial, Technology & Data team at Gateley Legal before moving to her current role.

A passionate advocate of junior development and social mobility, Pardeep is an elected Council Member and Social Mobility Committee Member of Birmingham Law Society and a Professional Ambassador for Aspiring Solicitors. Pardeep was previously a committee member of BPS Birmingham Future's Development Committee and previously held the role Joint Honorary Secretary for Birmingham Law Society. Pardeep has already started to proactively engage in such initiatives at Liverpool Football Club.

Whether you are still embracing the “New Year, New You” mantra, or simply feel now is the time to Grow Your Network, we would love to see you there. Our Grow Your Network programme creates opportunities for young professionals to build relationships that can be nurtured over time, so it will be a great opportunity to mingle and catch up with contacts!