After a successful rowing career, John Mehrzad KC did not set out to become a sports barrister when he turned to the Bar. But after a senior colleague passed him a chance as a junior barrister to act on a minor dispute between a footballer and his agent, Mehrzad caught the opportunity and ran with it. Now with sports law taking up around four-fifths of his time, the Littleton Chambers barrister has developed one of the most eclectic sports law practices at the Bar.
Just a few highlights of Mehrzad’s hectic year have included arbitrations for a Premier League club, and a sacked Premier League manager, while on the policy side he has led investigations for rugby and cricket clubs, along with ongoing advice for leading players associations. Perhaps most prominently though, Mehrzad worked for Cardiff City FC over the tragic death of Emiliano Sala, whose plane crashed on the way to Cardiff in 2019. The matter has involved work in multiple jurisdictions, including an appearance before the Court of Arbitration for Sport last year. Last, but not least, Mehrzad is now trying to help others into the game, running the Inspire Sports Law Initiative, which he founded in 2016 to mentor under-represented minority groups and former athletes as they move into legal careers.