Craig Giles

I'm a partner in our Media, Entertainment & Sports group in London, advising on commercial issues in all major sports, as well as advertising and marketing campaigns and consumer law.

I specialise in advising our sports industry clients on sponsorship, image rights, staging agreements, agency agreements, merchandising, licensing, funding agreements, brand protection and ticketing measures. I have particular expertise in the field of media rights and lead our London team's practice in this area. I've advised numerous rights holders, producers and broadcasters on some of the most high profile and cutting-edge media rights deals in the industry, both in the UK and in other jurisdictions across the world.

I act for clients across all major sports including football, rugby, tennis, golf, cricket, equestrian sports, hockey, sailing, motor sports, combat sports, cycling and athletics, as well as broadcasters, event organisers and sponsors. I also advise a number of clients from across the developing esports ecosystem.

I also advise on cutting-edge legal issues within the highly regulated world of marketing - including advising marketing agencies and brands on a range of talent agreements, creative and production arrangements; advertising campaigns across all digital and non-digital media; sales promotions; loyalty programmes; prize competitions; pricing requirements; and complaints before regulators such as the Advertising Standards Authority and Ofcom. I also advise on the ever-changing consumer law landscape, including website terms and conditions, terms and conditions of sale and e-commerce requirements.

I am the co-author of the chapters on Media Rights and Sponsorship in the leading textbook Sport: Law & Practice, and contribute a range of materials on sponsorship and broadcast law for publications such as LexisPSL and Westlaw. I also write the UK chapter of PLC's Digital Business Global Guide. I've also worked on secondment at The Football Association and Sport England.

• Six Nations Rugby: advising on the award of the national and international media rights to the Six Nations Championship, together with the championship sponsorship programme (including the title sponsorship agreement with Guinness).
• The FA: advising on the tender and award of media rights to FA competitions such as The FA Cup, including the domestic agreements with the broadcasters and the international agreements with IMG and Pitch.
• Wimbledon: advising the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) on the renewal of its long-term relationship with the BBC in respect of its production and coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon.
• Celtic Rugby: advising Celtic Rugby on all domestic and international media rights work for the Guinness PRO14, and on a wide range of issues related to the expansion of the tournament to include teams from South Africa.
• The Rugby Football Union: advising on its long term arrangements with Premiership Rugby and the Premiership clubs relating to the operation of the professional game in England, including the structuring of the English rugby season, rights of access to England players for training and match preparation, and funding for the clubs' player academy systems.