My first steps as a sports lawyer – Chris Watkins, Legal Counsel at City Football Group & LawInSport Mentee 2021-2022

From the day I finalised my decision to study law at university, I was interested in pairing potential future legal skills with my passion for sport. “Passion for sport” is something everyone says in an interview for a sports-related role, but however you feel about the phrase being used in CVs and interviews, it is undeniable that it has been the cornerstone of my career aspirations and has ultimately led me to the LawInSport Mentoring Scheme and my first steps into the sports sector.

I started my career as a paralegal working at an advertising business in London. I had not been offered a training contract when I left university but was lucky enough to get a vacation scheme with a City firm during my time at the advertising business and was offered a training contract following that scheme. One exciting element (of many) about the firm I trained at was that various departments had a history of sports clients. At the time, having unsuccessfully applied in the past for training contracts at numerous firms with specialisms in sports work, I had put my sports law aspirations to one side but now saw this as a hopeful chance to get access to sports law in my training. The reality was a little different and I had minimal access to sports work during my training contract. I found my qualified solicitor home in the corporate acquisition finance team, where I enjoyed a great two and a half years and a brilliant start to my legal career.

Whilst I was enjoying that career, however, a couple of key life experiences and circumstances led to a change in my priorities and once again my aspirations to work in the sports industry returned and I decided I had to try again. It was at this point I encountered another hurdle; how do I get into the sports sector from corporate acquisition finance?