Adam Taylor

Adam is one of the most experienced junior barristers in sports law at the UK bar, having practised exclusively in international sports arbitration from 2020 to 2023 as part of the world-leading team at Kellerhals Carrard Lausanne, where he still retains an “Of Counsel” position.

His areas of expertise include all types of doping violation, football transfer disputes, commercial, corruption and ethics, competition admissibility issue, and disciplinary. He has appeared countless times before the CAS and first-instance sports tribunals, and has detailed knowledge of CAS’ procedures, arbitrators, and counsel. He has also acted in proceedings before the FIFA Players’ Status Chamber. He has conducted advocacy from locations as wide-ranging as New York and Monaco.

Adam has acted repeatedly for several years for key international stakeholders in global sport. He has acted for internationally recognised, top-level boxers, footballers, and football clubs. He has acted in relation to Olympic re-testing cases. He has acted in urgent provisional suspension cases in relation to major competitions. He has experience of challenges to CAS jurisdiction.

In an English law context, Adam has previously sat on disciplinary and appeals panels, and he has acted in personal injury, property damage, product liability and commercial cases with a sports focus.

Selected Cases

Doping

Adam has acted in the full range of doping cases, including Presence, Use, Whereabouts, Evasion, Tampering and Possession cases. He is familiar with Athlete Biological Passport cases. He has acted in cases related to the Russian state-sponsored doping program and the Moscow LIMS.  He has cross-examined world champion and famous athletes from a wide range of sports. He has cross-examined scientific and medical experts on complex questions of laboratory procedure and medical causation. He has conducted Olympic re-testing cases and obtained the disqualification of medals. He has uncovered fraudulent explanations for doping offences including cases where the explanation was formed and maintained by an entire group of sport officials. He has also previously represented well-known athletes in doping cases, including through his prior involvement with the Sport Resolutions pro bono panel.

Selected cases include:

• Acting before the federation tribunal and before CAS to obtain Tampering violations against various national federation officials and an athlete who were involved in a group plot to provide a fraudulent explanation for Whereabouts Failures.

https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/downloads/pdfs/disciplinary-process/en/200208-World-Athletics-v-Artur-Karamyan-and-Dmitry-Shlyakhtin-Decision-FINAL.pdf

https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/downloads/pdfs/disciplinary-process/en/CAS-award-operative-1.pdf

https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/downloads/pdfs/know-us/en/AIU-PRESS-RELEASE-CAS-UPHOLDS-AIU-CHARGES-AGAINST-DANIL-LYSENKO-AND-IMPOSES-A-SIX-YEAR-BAN-ON-THE-RUSSIAN-HIGH-JUMPER.pdf

• Acting to obtain a Tampering violation in respect of a world and Olympic champion, both before the first instance disciplinary tribunal and on appeal to CAS.

https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/downloads/pdfs/disciplinary-process/en/CAS-2021_A_7983_8059_Reasoned_Award.pdf

• Acting before CAS to obtain the disqualification of a 4x100m relay team’s silver medals at the Tokyo Olympics, following a positive test to one of the team.

https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_ADD_Media_Release_ADD33.pdf

• Acting before the federation tribunal in relation to various charges arising out of an FBI investigation under the Rodchenkov Act.

https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/downloads/pdfs/disciplinary-process/en/220214-World-Athletics-v-Blessing-Okagbare-Decision-Final.pdf

• Acting before a national anti-doping panel in relation to the retirement provisions of the WADC and their application to a well-known sportsperson.
• Acting before CAS in various Use cases arising out of the Moscow LIMS data.
• Acting before CAS on multiple Whereabouts cases, including as to the “no negligence” test, the workings of the ADAMS system, and fraudulent explanations.
• Acting before the federation tribunal on a Tampering charge in relation to the attempted bribery of a doping control officer.
• Acting before the federation tribunal in relation to the upholding of a provisional suspension before a major competition, and related competition management decisions referred to the Disputes Committee.

Football and commercial

Adam has significant experience of a wide variety of football transfer related disputes, as well as other commercial disputes within a sports context. He has experience of such cases both within FIFA and CAS proceedings. He frequently conducts witness handling of players, coaches, managers, club staff and representatives, agents, and federation staff and representatives. He frequently drafts and pleads as to issues of contract formation, termination with just cause and the calculation of damages.

Selected cases include:

• Acting for a top-tier club in its successful defence of an appeal to CAS by another club against the decision of the FIFA PSC that the second club was obliged to make payment to the first club in respect of the transfer fee for a player who died tragically in a plane crash.

https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Media_Release_6594_Decision.pdf

https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Award_6594__for_publication_.pdf

• Acting before CAS for the player in relation to his termination with just cause in light of the non-payment of salary by his club, allegedly due to Covid-19 related financial constraints.

https://jurisprudence.tas-cas.org/Shared%20Documents/8139.pdf#search=badri

• Acting before CAS for a Premier League footballer and his former club in relation to a claim of termination without just cause by his previous former club, where the player alleged that he had never signed the employment contract and the signatures therein had been fabricated.
• Acting before CAS for a top-tier European club in relation to the method of calculating a sell-on fee in relation to a Premier League footballer.
• Acting before CAS for a top-tier European club in relation to its defence of payments allegedly invoiced and due to an intermediary.
• Acting before CAS for a top-tier European club in relation to claims made against it by multiple assistant coaches, where the key issue was whether those assistant coaches had ever concluded employment contracts, including in light of the contractual situation of the related head coach.
• Acting before CAS (sitting in person in New York City) for a top-level boxer in relation to his claim that a settlement agreement had been breached by the relevant boxing authority, which would have entitled him to a prestigious fight by a set date.
• Advising in relation to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
• Advising on and representing the defendant on appeal from a commercial trial in the English courts involving the sale of a British Eventing competition horse by an international-standard competition rider. The case involved sale of goods, misrepresentation and mitigation issues. The historical behaviour of the horse and the industry-specific nature of the representations were key considerations.

Corruption, ethics and disciplinary

Adam has been involved in various complex prosecutions and investigations within a sports context. Such cases have often involved assessing large amounts of historic evidence and many potential witnesses.

Selected cases include:

• Advising on further investigations and bringing CAS proceedings against the former president and general secretary of an International Federation, in relation to historic corruption and ethics violations.
• Acting before CAS for a national football federation in relation to an appeal by a club president against his lifetime ban for punching a referee in the referee changing rooms.
• Acting before CAS for a national football federation in relation to an appeal by a club coach against a lifetime ban for widespread match-fixing.
• Acting on appeal before CAS for an international federation in relation to charges of match-fixing.
• Adam was formerly a chair of the disciplinary panels of the London FA.

Sports Injury and Sporting Product Liability

• Adam was junior to Daniel Shapiro KC in relation to a £2million product liability claim involving a fall from a horse by a doctor while riding a jumping circuit wearing an inflatable vest.
• Advising in relation to multiple personal injuries arising out of the partial collapse of a cricket stadium during a match.
• Advising a cycling training company on its defence to a claim made by a child injured during a beginners’ cycling training session.
• Acting in a multi-track claim brought by a greenkeeper against his employer golf club and a golfing member who hit him on the head with an approach shot, allegedly causing neurological symptoms. Drafting the defence and advising on a claim arising out of an allegedly negligent personal training session, where the claimant was injured while performing box jumps.
• Advising on the defence of a claim involving an allegedly negligent box-fit session, where the claimant was injured while performing a toe-tap exercise.
• Advising on the defence of a multiparty claim involving a stilt-walking injury during a circus skills workshop at a school.

Adam was ranked as a Rising Star by Legal 500 in 2021 for professional negligence. He is regularly instructed in a wide range of professional negligence matters, and he has a particular interest in claims involving legal professionals. His daily court appearances and significant experience in commercial, property damage and personal injury disputes underpin his meticulous and robust approach. Adam accepts instructions on behalf of claimants and defendants, and also on a CFA basis where appropriate.

Adam has acted in numerous solicitor negligence cases where the underlying dispute involves personal injury, matrimonial, estate planning, and conveyancing matters. He has also acted in cases involving barristers, surveyors, financial advisers, and accountants. He is developing a focus on the interface between lawyers and technology, having acted in conveyancing cyber-fraud and website misrepresentation cases. He has also defended professionals from spurious private prosecutions in the criminal courts where the claimant has failed to obtain civil remedies.

Selected Cases

• Representing a director of a major accountancy firm in relation to a private prosecution made by a former client who had failed to obtain civil compensation in respect of the firm’s financial advice, and which was successfully struck out at the summons stage (i.e. upon issue of the prosecution) for being both defective and vexatious.
• Defending a firm of solicitors against a claim in negligence and breach of contract relating to a conveyancing cyber-fraud where international hackers were able to access the solicitors’ email system and pretend to be the conveyancing solicitor, so as to request and receive payment of the property funds. Key issues in the case included the reasonableness of the IT security systems in place and causation as to whether the claimant would have been the victim of the hack even with tighter security.
• Drafting the Particulars of Claim in a dispute against the claimant’s former solicitors, where his personal injury claim was struck out due to noncompliance and delay, and he subsequently lost his QOCS cost protection.
• Defending solicitors involved in the allegedly fraudulent transfer of a property at the centre of a bad-tempered family estate dispute, and applying for strike out following service of the pleadings, in that the case against the defendant was both stale and unsupported by a defined cause of action.
• Advising the claimant company and director in their dispute against former solicitors in relation to a claim against a mortgagee and LPA receiver for sale at an undervalue.
• Drafting the defence and providing written advice for a leading London estate agent accused of negligently drafting the break clause within a tenancy agreement.
• Advising as to the merits of a prospective claim in negligent misstatement relating to a company’s website, which advertised one of its members as a professional when in fact he was a fraudster.
• Adam regularly drafts letters before claim in defence of professionals, in order to deter unnecessary litigation and unmeritorious claims.
• Acting pro bono for a theatre company who sued its solicitors from an underlying dispute concerning a contract to perform at a theatre. The defendant solicitors firm settled before trial for virtually the whole amount of the claim.

Adam regularly advises, drafts pleadings and attends court in property damage cases, including fires, floods, cavity wall insulation, and tree roots. He has experience of dealing with issues including pure economic loss, the effect of statutory undertakings, expert evidence, contribution claims, and limitation. He is a robust trial advocate with significant trial experience.

Selected Cases

• Advising and negotiating re settlement in a claim arising out of heavy vehicle works on top of a pipeline.
• Advising the claimant on a residential property damage claim against a sewerage undertaker and their independent contractors.
• Providing representation and advice on behalf of a harbour authority in a multi-party claim involving damage to a luxury yacht.
• Advising the claimant homeowner on merits and expert evidence in a six-party dispute as to piling activity on neighbouring premises.
• Advising an insurer as to the merits of a landlord’s defence against two linked cases of tenant property damage, including issues of policy coverage and agency.
• Advising the claimant in a claim involving multiple incidents of flood damage to a high-end fashion outlet allegedly caused by the landlord’s failure to maintain.
• Drafting particulars of claim in a multi-party dispute involving water damage caused by the supply of a defective bath.
• Advising as to the merits of a fire damage claim in a residential property. The case involved expert evidence and insurance policy coverage issues.
• Appearing in the county court on a variety of property damage disputes. In particular, Adam successfully defended a claim in negligence for damage allegedly caused by excessive delay in the repair of a heating system leak.

Adam’s extensive inquest experience covers health and safety, personal injury, public law, RTA and product liability inquests. He has acted as sole counsel in a number of multi-day jury inquests, and he has experience of article 2 issues. Adam’s clients include national utilities companies, care homes, construction/building companies, families and the emergency services. He is able to offer complimentary expertise in civil or criminal regulatory proceedings arising out of the inquest.

Selected Cases

• Instructed as sole counsel on a four-day jury inquest concerning the death of a Yorkshire Water employee in an oxygenated dry well at a treatment plant, who died when an angle grinder set his clothes on fire. Adam was instructed on behalf of Yorkshire Water

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-40952378

• Instructed as sole counsel on a four-day jury inquest concerning a work at height incident involving ladder use in a leisure centre. There were five interested parties participating in the inquest.
• Adam was junior counsel in relation to an inquest concerning the death of a young child in a domestic elevator.
• Representing the family in an inquest involving the suicide of a patient discharged by mental health clinicians. The issues included whether Article 2 applied, neglect, the mental health assessment and the handover to the home treatment team.
• Representing the family in an inquest into the death of a conspiracy theorist abroad in Poland.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-46810312

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/06/hopes-that-inquest-will-shed-light-on-conspiracy-theorists-death

• Representing a care home in an inquest involving the death of a dementia patient.
• Representing an insurer in an inquest involving a fatal RTA where the allegation of jumping a red light meant that traffic light sequencing was in issue.

Adam has conducted personal injury litigation since pupillage, and he achieves excellent results at trial on the multi-track, both for claimants and defendants. He regularly attends case management conferences, and he is familiar with cost budgeting. Adam has drafted pleadings and advised in a wide variety of personal injury matters, including cases of fraud, occupiers’ liability, RTAs, pharmaceuticals, dangerous animals, health and safety at work, and landlord-tenant obligations. He is happy to advise on quantum, including the review of expert medical evidence, and he has been instructed as sole counsel in a number of high-value disputes. Adam also recognises the importance of costs, and he has obtained an exception to the QOCS regime for a successful defendant.

Adam is developing a specialism in claims relating to sports and leisure activities, for which, see the Sports Law tab.

Selected Cases

• Representing the successful defendant in a two-day multi-track trial involving property adaptations.
• Representing the successful defendant at trial in a case involving a wedding guest’s fall at a hotel.
• Advising the claimant in respect of a £100,000 claim involving significant loss of future earnings and medical causation issues.
• Advising claimant solicitors on, and subsequently drafting, a c.£800,000 schedule of loss in a fatal accident case.
• Representing the successful defendant at trial in a case involving an employee fall in a store cupboard.
• Successfully defending a major national food and drinks retailer at trial against a slip/trip claim by its employee. The defendant won on all contested issues, including reasonable foreseeability of harm and causation of the injury.
• Successfully resisting a summary judgment application against a defendant in a dangerous dogs case, which involved the consideration of veterinary records.
• Successfully defending a local authority at trial against a Highways Act claim.
• Adam advised on the withdrawal of a pre-action admission and drafted the withdrawal letter in a low value EL claim which later developed into a significant one.
• Drafting the defence on behalf of a pharmaceutical company in a claim involving alleged incorrect prescription and effect on the claimant’s lupus.
• Successfully defending the London Ambulance Service in road traffic trials on many occasions. Drafting the defence in an allegedly fraudulent slip/trip claim which involved issues of property boundaries and a McGeown argument.

Adam is also a personal injury fraud specialist, and he regularly represents defendants at fundamental dishonesty and fraud trials, across the EL/PL/RTA spectrum, including LVI collisions. He also advises and tests witnesses in conference, advises on overall prospects of success, and assists with the pleading of fraud. He has experience with re-opening settlements on the basis of the tort of deceit. He also has experience in acting on enforcement proceedings arising out of fraud matters. He regularly lectures on fundamental dishonesty. His approach to insurance fraud cases has been informed by his extensive experience of prosecuting corruption, fraud, and ethics cases in international sports arbitration.

Selected Cases

• Adam acted for the defendant as sole counsel in achieving a fundamental dishonesty finding and strike out against a claimant who had fallen off a scaffold, where liability had been admitted, and where the claim against the defendant was pleaded at c.£450,000 when Adam was instructed. Adam achieved an initial adjournment of the trial in order for the defendant to rely on Facebook evidence and later cross-examined the claimant for a full day at trial, as to his Facebook, GP, DWP and HMRC records. At the two-day trial Adam negotiated quantum down from £450,000 to £100,000, subject to fundamental dishonesty, which was then found against the claimant. The trial raised issues of hidden employment, holidays, social activities, and unsupportable care/accommodation claims.
• Adam was instructed as junior counsel for the defence in a £2million product liability claim with a personal injury element. The claim involved a fall from a horse by a doctor while wearing an inflatable vest. Adam had primary responsibility for the personal injury element (with leading counsel dealing with the product liability element). He settled a 20-page counter-schedule, which pleaded fundamental dishonesty on the basis of exaggerated quantum. He met with the four medical experts to finalise their reports and explore the fraud case through their opinions of examining the claimant.
• Adam achieved a fundamental dishonesty finding at trial arising out of a ‘mystery spring roll’ where the judge found that the spring roll did not have metal shavings in it, subsequent to Adam’s cross-examination of the claimant.
• Adam acted in enforcement proceedings arising out of a Tomlin Order at a fundamental dishonesty trial, including as to enforcement of the settlement terms and resisting an application for payments by instalment
• Adam advised on surveillance evidence from a neighbour of the claimant as to the claimant’s non-injured gardening, contrary to the claimant’s medical presentation to expert. He drafted the fundamental dishonesty defence and he then advised as to reopening the previous settlement of the related passenger claim of the spouse on the basis of tort of deceit, as the spouse was also seen gardening without injury, contrary to the expert medical report. He then drafted proceedings in the tort of deceit to reopen the settlement.
• Achieving a QOCS exception when the claimant failed to turn up for trial with no explanation, as reported on Lawtel (Brahilika v Allianz).
• Achieving a strike out and future wasted costs hearing in front of a Birmingham Circuit Judge, where a potentially fraudulent claimant failed to serve properly translated witness evidence. It was being alleged by the Defendant that the injuries pleaded could not have been caused by the accident (LVI).

Adam acts in a wide variety of general commercial cases, providing advice, drafting pleadings and attending at court. He is able to analyse likely trial outcomes and provide tactical advice using the benefit of his daily court experience. He anticipates judicial attitudes and witness performance to achieve the best results for his clients. He takes a thorough and inventive approach to legal argument. At trial, he is a robust advocate.

His cases regularly involve sale of goods contracts, supply of services contracts, commercial fraud, injunctions, construction of contracts, late notification, enforcement of judgments overseas, and consumer protection.

Selected Cases

• Advising an accountancy firm as to the calculation and recovery of a £50,000 shortfall in a business purchase agreement, including issues of good faith, notification, implied terms, and the merits of a £300,000 counterclaim.
• Advising a services contractor on whether it had concluded an agreement with a solvent UK company or its liquidated Irish subsidiary, for the purposes of a debt claim.
• Representing the Claimant/Appellant via the Bar Pro Bono Unit on an appeal before HHJ Dight in a multi-party commercial dispute. The case involved a contract (written in Albanian) for the return of money paid for the purchase of a car wash business. The appeal focused on whether the trial judge was wrong in not considering the effect of the Second Defendant’s potential written admissions before striking out the Claimant’s case due to his lack of witness evidence.
• Representing a claimant security company in a contractual dispute involving the supply and installation of a security system at the defendant nightclub, which was subsequently burgled. The defendant settled the bulk of the claimant’s claim and abandoned its counterclaim.
• Acting regularly for a major London estate agent in cases involving the recovery of estate agent commission. Adam won summary judgment in a contested application for payment of commission.
• Drafting the defence and providing representation at trial in a data protection dispute. Successfully defending a claim against an educational provider for the return of course fees. The case involved issues of breach of contract and consumer protection legislation.
• Drafting particulars of claim in a multi-party services contract dispute involving issues of jurisdiction and agency. One of the defendants settled the claim for almost its entire value, plus costs, prior to service of a defence.
• Advising on the enforceability of a hire agreement, both in relation to fraud and non-conformity with description.
• Appearing regularly at case management conferences (including cost budgeting).
• Regularly appearing in the county court on credit hire disputes. Adam has experience of arguing all the major issues in such cases, including need, period, rate, impecuniosity and intervention offers.
• Advising on potential fraud and piercing the corporate veil in an international sale of goods claim.
• Adam advised as to the merits of a c.£300,000 claim against a mortgagee and an LPA receiver as to a property sale at an undervalue. The advice also addressed issues of limitation, abuse of process, and assignment of the right of action.