The Sports Consultancy is delighted to announce the recruitment of David Becker and his clients to accelerate the company’s fast growing, innovative legal consultancy services division. David was previously Head of Legal at the International Cricket Council (ICC) and a former partner and head of sport at Collyer Bristow in London.
David Becker advised on all major legal and strategic matters affecting the game of international cricket whilst at the ICC from 2007 to 2012 and also built up a successful private practice over a prolonged period advising organisations such as ISAF, NIKE and Sports Vision and several high-profile athletes including four-time Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie CBE, major winners Ernie Els, Rory Mcilroy, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel and premiership footballers Steven Pienaar, Brad Friedel and Lucas Radebe.
Under the direction of Robert Datnow, The Sports Consultancy’s Joint Managing Director and former Partner at Farrer & Co, The Sports Consultancy is building a successful following for its innovative legal consultancy services in sport as part of its broader sports consultancy offering. The company provides specialist legal consulting services as a necessary but subsidiary part of its wider commercial offering to a growing number of rights holder, city, brand, major event and venue clients including the Volvo Ocean Race, International Equestrian Federation, the Women’s Tennis Association, Sportsworld and London & Partners.
Commenting on the recruitment Robert Datnow said: “David is highly experienced in all aspects of international sports law and commercial sport and will make an extremely valuable addition to our rapidly expanding team.
We have ambitious plans to develop our legal consultancy offering as part of our other commercial consultancy services through the recruitment of senior lawyers such as David and Ashley Blake (formerly Bird & Bird and Hamlins) and our wider team drawn from some of the UK’s leading law firms. We believe our innovative and flexible approach alongside our deep understanding of the sports industry meets the developing needs of our sports clients.”
Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race commented on The Sports Consultancy’s legal services: “Over the past 3 years that we have been using The Sports Consultancy to provide our commercial legal consultancy across our business. By combining sports specific legal consultancy with deep experience of the commercial side of our business they offer us relevant, practical and very cost-effective expertise. I think the model they’re providing offers really significant advantages to rights holders like us.”
David Becker added, “I am delighted to be joining The Sports Consultancy to support the team in building on their growing international reputation as high-end, sports-focussed commercial, legal and strategic consultants. The obvious additional value The Sports Consultancy is able to offer my clients makes this an exciting opportunity for them, particularly with the increasing convergence of sports law and business.”
