Sports Law
Toby Gee’s practice ranges across several key sports law areas.
Toby’s relevant practice areas include professional negligence, product liability, insurance, personal injury and commercial law. He also has significant governance experience, having sat on and chaired various charitable boards.
Toby has advised national sporting bodies on matters such as:
- Legal and ethical obligations of a national sporting organisation towards former players of the sport (professional, amateur, and under-18) who may have brain conditions as a result of multiple head impacts, taking into account various different contractual and non-contractual relationships and degrees of control over the game, and the relationship between the national body and the world body in relation to rule-setting and regulation.
- Effect of restructuring collective and individual contracting structures for players employed (directly or indirectly) by a national sporting body on that body’s health and safety obligations to players
- Board selection. Toby was a member of the selection panel for a new board of a national sporting body. He advised on and developed the board selection process in collaboration with the chair of the selection panel, and played a key role in the appointment process.
Relevant cases include:
- Representing a club protesting to a national sporting body about the rationality of a change to eligibility rules for players to participate in club teams taking part in national championships.
- Representing producers and managers of sports products (eg mountain bike, motorcycle, wakeboard, ‘bucking bronco’) alleged to have been defective and/or improperly managed such as to cause injury to participants.
- Representing a local authority in relation to a personal injury action – injury allegedly caused by lack of supervision in a school context.
Selected Cases
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Memberships
UK:
- Professional Negligence Bar Association
- Personal Injuries Bar Assocation
- Technology & Construction Bar Association
- The London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association
NZ:
- New Zealand Law Society
- New Zealand Bar Association
- New Zealand Insurance Law Association (2014 -2025)
- Wellington Medico-Legal Society (2014-2025)
Appointments:
- Director and Vice-chair of Lambeth Law Centre, 2004 – 2005
- Chair of charity Porters’ Progress UK, 2007-2012
- Governor of Dulwich Village Infants’ School, 2012-2013
- Board member of New Zealand Choral Federation, 2018 – 2022
- Board member of St Mark’s Church School, Wellington, New Zealand, 2019 – 2025. Chair, 2023-2025
- Member of Board selection panels: World Choir Games (2022), Inline Hockey New Zealand (2025)
Recommendations
“You did a stellar job on the Bank of New Zealand recovery.”
(Senior claims manager for Bank of New Zealand’s global property insurer)
“I couldn’t have done it without your direction.”
(Manager of biodiesel plant for NZ oil and gas company)
“Thank you so much for your tenacity.”
(Individual client)
“Toby has the rare combination of legal brilliance and exceptional communication, together with humility, respect, compassion and empathy.”
(Individual client – a doctor with a serious long-term injury)
“Toby’s clear, careful thinking, calm authority and principled approach make him an exceptionally effective barrister. His personal qualities of integrity, sound judgment and experience blend to produce the consistently strong outcomes he achieves.”
(Chief scientist at New Zealand Rugby)
“Methodical and persuasive.”
Legal 500 ((2016)
“He’s very approachable and responds very quickly with detailed advice.”
Chambers & Partners (2015)
“Highly regarded for his versatility.”
Chambers & Partners (2014)
“He provides excellent advice which leaves no room for doubt.”
Legal 500 ((2014)
“Excellent in the courtroom.”
Legal 500 ((2013)
