Couchman Harrington Associates, the leading niche sports law firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of 2 new partners, Fraser Reid and Mark Whitehead.

FRASER REID is a senior sports lawyer, formerly Head of Sport at Theodore Goddard, which merged in 2003 to form Addleshaw Goddard. He has a wealth of experience of advising clients in the sports and entertainment industries including sports personalities, sports governing bodies, sports marketing companies and sponsors, and is highly rated by the leading independent legal directories.

‘This is an ideal opportunity for me at this stage in my career,’ said Reid ‘and one which I have grabbed with open arms. This firm is going places and quite simply I wanted to be part of it.’

MARK WHITEHEAD joins CHA directly from the sports industry where he has held senior management positions in World Sport Group Plc, Global Cricket Corporation (the NewsCorp-owned company which currently holds the commercial rights for the ICC Cricket World Cup) and World Snooker. Mark trained in the City before moving on to former leading international sports law practice Townleys, where he acted as legal advisor for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

‘A move back into private practice was not top of the agenda until I was approached by Couchman Harrington’ said Whitehead. ‘The sports marketplace has changed radically over the last few years and in my experience, law firms operating in the sector have not always been quick to respond to that change. In contrast, I believe that Couchman Harrington have the right business model and philosophy to respond best to the particular needs of those operating in UK and International sport. Their phenomenal growth in recent years is matched only by their ambition and I am delighted to be joining at such an exciting time.’

NIC COUCHMAN says that the acquisition of Whitehead and Reid was a very significant step for the firm. ‘It signals where we want to be in the international sports marketplace. Fraser and Mark bring superb experience of all aspects of sports law practice from football clubs and doping cases to commercial rights exploitation of the world’s biggest events. Dan Harrington and I worked closely with Mark at Townleys. Fraser has always had a strong reputation in the sector. They are both highly commercial and bring a wealth of new contacts and clients to the firm. This comes alongside other recent appointments on the TV and talent management side of the business, and some great client gains. We are now well positioned to build on our mission to become the leading sports law practice in Europe.

DAN HARRINGTON said of the move, ‘Sports law – like the sports business – is at a cross-roads right now. Advisers in sport need to be more than just great lawyers – they have to be great lawyers who understand the industry, its agendas and how it works. This is a unique and complex market run by strong personalities and you have to take the right approach to dealing with its issues. Mark and Fraser have that approach – their decision to join us is fantastic news and a clear endorsement that our way of doing things is the way to go.’

For more details contact:

Nic Couchman
Ph. No – 020 7611 9660
Email: nic@chass.co.uk