A trio of partners have broken away from North West firm Brabners to set up their own sports and media boutique under the name Centrefield.
The new firm is being formed from Brabners’ existing sports practice and will be led by partners Matthew Bennett, David Bentham and Edward Canty. The three partners will be joined by seven solicitors and associates.
Brabners has entered into a collaboration agreement with Manchester-based Centrefield in order to “work closely to service existing and new clients”. Brabners managing partner Mark Brandwood said the agreement was reached as part of the firm’s long-term strategy to “focus on core commercial services”.
Speaking about the agreement Brandwood told The Lawyer: “It will be on a referral basis. Predominantly the Centrefield business is pure sports law and a lot of the work that sports clients want is in the fields of employment, property, corporate and charity.
“All of those surround things will go to Brabners and if there are any things that Centrefield do that Brabners don’t do there would be referrals the other way.”
Partners Maurice Watkins and Jason Smith will continue to lead Brabners’ sports practice. Early this year the firm’s sports practice successfully overturned a decision to block an application by its client Hull City Football Club to change its name to Hull Tigers. As a result of the arbitration judgement the football club has won permission to apply again to change its name.
According to The Lawyer’s UK 200: The Top 100 report Brabners’ turnover for the last financial year remained flat at £30m. However, the firm’s net profit dropped by 10 per cent to £6.6m from £7.4m.
