Richard Bush

I am an experienced and practically minded sports lawyer, working as a partner in our Media, Entertainment & Sports Group in London.

Having trained and qualified at a major city firm, I began my career as a sports lawyer in 2011, working as an in-house lawyer at The FA. In 2014 I went back into private practice with a highly respected boutique sports law firm, before joining the market-leading practice here at Bird & Bird in 2016.

As a consequence, I have experience of advising a wide range of sports organisations (including national and international governing bodies, event organisers, clubs, and rights-holders) across a wide variety of legal issues. I have developed a deep understanding of the wider practical challenges faced by such organisations.

My practice primarily encompasses matters such as challenges to regulatory decisions, the drafting of rules and regulations, the conduct of disciplinary matters including doping and corruption cases (at all stages, from investigation to advocacy at hearings and appeals), child protection and safeguarding, participant welfare, and commercial dispute resolution. I also have a working knowledge of other complementary practice areas, such as commercial/contract, privacy/defamation/media, competition, and data protection law.

I have represented clients before various dispute resolution forums domestically and abroad, including the English courts, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the National Anti-Doping Panel, anti-corruption tribunals, FA Rule K arbitration panels, and the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber.

In 2014, I was appointed by The FA to the County Disciplinary (Anti-Discrimination) FA Chairman's Panel. In 2017, I was appointed as a founding member of the Esport Integrity Coalition's Disciplinary Panel.

I am a contributing author of two chapters in 'Football and the Law' (Bloomsbury Professional, 2018) ('Institutions' and 'Arbitration'), and of two chapters in 'Sport: Law and Practice' (Bloomsbury Professional, 4th Edn, 2021) ('Safeguarding' and 'Esports').

• Completing a secondment as acting Head of Legal at UK Anti-Doping.
• Acting for UK Anti-Doping and the International Tennis Federation in various anti-doping proceedings.
• Acting for the International Cricket Council (ICC) in various anti-corruption proceedings.
• Acting as part of the team representing the ICC in its successful defence of arbitration proceedings brought by the USA Cricket Association (USACA), challenging the legality of its expulsion from membership of the ICC.
• Advising a major domestic governing body in relation to the implementation of its first safeguarding policy and related regulations.