Skip to content Skip to footer
Call 0800 652 8025 Request a consultation
Referee overseeing football game

Divorce and family law solicitors for sports professionals

Discreet, personal advice for sportspeople and their partners

Clarke Willmott offers discreet, personalised divorce and family legal services to sports professionals. We have many years’ experience helping high profile sports people navigate challenging times and appreciate how much more sensitive legal matters can be for you.

No more so than when you have difficulties in your personal relationships. Your reputation can make or break your future playing career and the prying eyes of the media are never far away. We will always respect your privacy and do all we can to curb unwarranted media intrusion.

Taking into account your profile, commitments and lifestyle, we will guide you through the best options for your situation and give you the sensitive, incisive and expert legal support you need to make decide how you’d like to proceed.

How Clarke Willmott can help

When family-related legal issues arise for professional and high-profile sports personalities, we know it’s vital to resolve them as quickly, painlessly and sensitively as possible. Here are some of the ways our solicitors can help you:

Prenuptial agreements

While it’s impossible to predict how much you might earn over your career, it makes sense to be prepared. If you are planning to get married, we would recommend you consider setting up a prenuptial agreement with your partner before the wedding. Your prenup will set out how your assets will be divided if the marriage were to end in divorce.

If you’re already married, you could enter into postnuptial agreement to achieve the same ends.

Divorce

Divorce and separation can be particularly complicated for sports professionals, especially if your career has spanned different countries. As experts in the complexities of international divorce, we can suggest the best way forward for you and your children and advise on whether it is possible to raise divorce proceedings in a country whose laws may be more favourable.

Complex financial settlements

Earnings for sports professionals can be very high and remuneration arrangements can be complicated; often made up of complex business and income structures such as a salary, bonuses, sponsorships, signing and transfer fees. You could also have international assets and interests to add into the mix.

Anything acquired during the marriage could potentially be shared between both you and your spouse. We can work with financial advisers and accountants to build a clear and accurate picture of your overall financial position to ensure a fair financial settlement is reached.

As a multi-disciplinary firm, we also have the benefit of being able to call on our colleagues to work with us on any commercial matters, property disputes or intellectual property issues that may arise.

Arrangements for children

In any relationship breakdown involving children, their needs must be come first. We can advise you on making child maintenance and living arrangements in their best interests.

Many divorces involving sports professionals have an international element. For example, if either or you are foreign nationals, have dual citizenship, reside overseas, or have international interests. This can complicate arrangements for your children. We have the experience and knowledge to deal successfully with these issues, including relocating overseas with your children after a divorce.

If you have children together but are not married, we can advise you on separating as a cohabiting couple and arranging childcare and financial support.

Family dispute resolution

Where possible, we recommend using mediation to try and resolve your differences and minimise conflict for your children. Cross-border family disputes can be particularly fractious, and this collaborative approach can be a practical way to resolve matters calmly and prevent more serious negative outcomes such as child abduction.

Discretion and confidentiality

If there is press interest around you and your family, we can advise you around press rights and confidentiality issues, as well as taking an alternative course of action, if appropriate to your situation, such as a private hearing.

Contact a divorce and family solicitor

Our team of dedicated and experienced divorce and family lawyers will guide you through your issue with care and sensitivity. Call 0800 652 8025 or contact us online to arrange a consultation. We have solicitors based across the country in Manchester, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Southampton and Taunton.

You can also draw on our extensive sports-related legal expertise beyond family matters including contractual disputes and sports injury compensation.

Your key contacts

Rayner Grice

Partner

Birmingham
Rayner advises on the issues that arise for an individual following the breakdown of a relationship in relation to divorce/civil partnership dissolution, their financial affairs and their children.
View profile for Rayner Grice >

Adam Maguire

Partner

Birmingham
Adam specialises in divorce and family law. He advises clients regarding all aspects of private family law including cohabitation, separation, divorce and related financial issues, disputes concerning children and nuptial agreements.
View profile for Adam Maguire >

Clare Webb

Partner

Bristol
Clare has built her practice with a commitment to helping her clients resolve their issues in a constructive and conciliatory way. In doing so, she will always have regard to the longterm hopes and aspirations for the family as a whole, whilst of course protecting her client’s interest.
View profile for Clare Webb >

Philippa Yeo

Partner

Bristol
Philippa is committed to helping couples navigate all aspects of the legal process on the breakdown of their relationship in a pragmatic, collaborative and family-focused way including supporting couples to reach arrangements for their children and achieve healthy future co-parenting relationships.
View profile for Philippa Yeo >

Latest news and articles

Divorce and family law

Clarke Willmott holds webinar on controlling and coercive behaviour

Clarke Willmott has held a webinar delving into the offence of coercive and controlling behaviour and looking at what legal professionals can do to help clients who fall victim Led by partner and expert family lawyer, Rayner Grice, the webinar covered how the family court deals with… “”

Read more on Clarke Willmott holds webinar on controlling and coercive behaviour
Divorce and family law

Protecting inheritance from divorce

Many consider that inheritances ought to be ring-fenced on divorce for the party to whom it has been left but the law is not that straightforward. However, there are steps which can be taken to minimise the risk of inherited assets being “invaded” in the event of a divorce.
Read more on Protecting inheritance from divorce

Looking for legal advice?