Harper Macleod goes for gold with UK Athletics

UK Athletics has appointed Scottish law firm Harper Macleod as its legal adviser for the next two years.

Martin Darroch with Paralympic gold medallist Jo Butterfield and UK Athletics chief Nigel Holl. Picture: Julie Howden

The legal heavyweight will provide a full range of services to the national governing body including corporate advice, commercial contracts, intellectual property, employment law, governance and regulatory matters.

This builds on previous sporting partnerships for the law firm, which acted as legal adviser to the Glasgow 2018 European Championships and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Harper Macleod is also a sponsor of rugby team Glasgow Warriors, the Pro14 finalists of 2019, and Scottish Swimming.

Chief executive Martin Darroch said the appointment was testament to the firm’s reputation in sports law practice. He added: “Sport has always been at the heart of Harper Macleod’s identity and we can’t wait to get started on what will be an exciting partnership.”

Nigel Holl, interim chief executive of UK Athletics, said: "We are delighted to announce this partnership going forward with Harper Macleod who have a proven track record of expertise and delivery in this area.

“Legal services can be a costly outlay for sporting organisations who want to channel as much finance into the sport as possible, so we are delighted to partner with a firm that not only offers great quality of service for the sport but is also choosing to invest in our brand going forward."