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Jamie Singer | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Employer | Onside Law LLP |
| Title | Partner |
Jamie Singer is a British legal expert and sports lawyer, based in London, United Kingdom. In 2024, Singer represented Tennis' World Number 1 Jannik Sinner during his doping investigation, of which Sinner received a 3 month suspension and was proven innocent of any deliberate act of doping. [1]
Singer began his legal career at the prestigious law firm Clifford Chance, where he gained experience in corporate and commercial law. Recognizing the growing significance of sports law, Singer moved to a dedicated sports group within Nicholson Graham & Jones (now part of K&L Gates), where he further specialised in advising clients within the sports industry. [2]
His experience in the sector led to a move to IMG, the global sports, events, and talent management company. At IMG, Singer served as the principal legal adviser for several key European divisions, including tennis, sponsorship consultancy, fashion, and the models divisions. This role saw him advising high-profile clients, negotiating commercial rights deals, and international contracts. [2]
In 2005, Singer co-founded Onside Law, a sports-focused law firm in London. His firm has gone onto represent various sports federations, teams and athletes during legal issues, contract negotiations and transfer deals. [2] Oliver Hunt and Simon Thorp. [2]
Singer's firm represented footballer Eden Hazard during his 2019 transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid. At £130 million plus add-ons it was one of the largest transfer deals in world football at the time, only surpassed by deals for Neymar and Kylian Mbappé the two seasons prior to Hazard's transfer. [3] Aside from the transfer fee, Hazard signed a lucrative 5 year deal with the Madrid club, with the media speculating Hazard's annual wage thought to be around £20 million per year. [4]
Onside Law again represented a major football transfer to Real Madrid in the summer of 2023 when they represented Jude Bellingham in his £89 million transfer to Spain from Borussia Dortmund. Many clubs had been attempting to win Bellingham's signature since December 2022, following excellent form in the Bundesliga. [5] The firm was also said to have represented Jude's brother, Jobe Bellingham, in his transfer to Sunderland in the same transfer window. The firm was said to have a "good relationship" with Real Madrid, one of the world's largest football clubs after it also negotiated Caroline Weir's transfer to the club a year prior along with Hazard a few years earlier. [6]
His standing within the sports legal industry has led to many media publications frequently using him as a commentator on major legal sports issues. [7] This included the November 2022 incident with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, where the player was critical of the club in a media interview. [8] Initially there were talks of his contract being terminated for the breach, but ultimately led him to leave the club and make his high profile move to the Saudi Pro League. [9] [10]
Singer's legal work was put in the spotlight after his client Jannik Sinner tested positive for a banned substance in April 2024. [11] A subsequent investigation and hearing took place to establish the reasons for taking the banned substance, along with any potential ban. [12] In August 2024, Singer spoke extensively to the media after a tribunal found the positive test for steroids was unintentional. [13] The banned substance clostebol was found in two separate March 2024 drug checks, with some players calling for a lengthy ban, including Nick Kyrgios. [14] The tribunal accepted Singer's legal argument that massages administered by his physiotherapist, were the cause of Jannik Sinner coming into contact with traces of the substance. [15] The physiotherapist had used a treatment which contained clostebol to treat an injury on his own hands. [16] Sinner was cleared in August 2024, but the decision received criticism on social media from some current players. [17]
Singer spoke to the BBC about the incident and some commentators and tennis professionals believing that Jannik Sinner had received preferential treatment as the world number one. [18] Singer stated that "it was independent tribunals making those decisions, and that’s the critical piece here - nobody within tennis decided this, independent judges decided this." [19] The comment into the doping investigation was subsequently widely reported. [20]
Despite being proven to be innocent of any wrongdoing, or taking the substance as a deliberate act, the World Anti-Doping Agency then put in a legal challenge against Sinner's verdict. [21] WADA had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an independent tribunal's decision in August to clear Sinner of wrongdoing. [22] The case was settled in February 2025 with Sinner accepting a 3 month suspension, which came at a time in the year meaning he wouldn't miss a single grand slam event. [23] Singer again spoke extensively to the media explaining the deal with WADA, [24] admitting it was "quite tricky" to get Sinner to agree to any ban, since it was a team member who made the mistake and not him personally. [25] The suspension split tennis and many media commentators. the ill-informed commentary and also defended Jannik Sinner following more criticism from people within tennis. [26] [27] [28]