Sports Paralegal in Leeds

We are an award-winning law firm that specialises in media, technology and intellectual property. We have around 250 people based mainly in London, Cheltenham and Brussels.

The successful candidate will work in the Sports team, providing support to Partners and Fee Earners, with a particular focus on football matters. The team advises clubs, governing bodies and stakeholders across both contentious and non-contentious work - and this role will lean more heavily into disputes and regulatory matters. This is an opportunity to gain hands-on exposure to high-profile, fast-moving work within professional sport.

You will be supporting on football-related disputes, assisting with litigation processes, drafting documents and correspondence, conducting regulatory research and working closely with Partners and senior lawyers on live matters. You will be part of a collaborative and close-knit team that values personality and positive energy just as much as technical ability. We are looking for someone who enjoys being part of a team, builds relationships easily and is keen to develop specialist expertise in sports and football law.

The role is remote, but you will be expected to attend our working space in Leeds once a fortnight to participate in team days. Whether you are a university leaver looking to start your legal career, or an experienced Paralegal looking to specialise, this is a chance to build real depth in a unique and highly commercial area of practice.

The role includes but is not restricted to, the following duties:

• Provide support to fee earners on sports law matters, particularly football-related disputes and regulatory issues.
• Assist with litigation and dispute resolution processes, including preparing documents, bundles, supporting case management and assisting with arbitrations.
• Draft correspondence and documents under supervision, with increasing autonomy as experience develops.
• Conduct legal and industry research, including analysis of governing body rules, disciplinary frameworks and regulatory developments within football.
• Prepare first drafts of applications, submissions and agreements as appropriate.
• Maintain accurate matter records, trackers and status reports.
• Take detailed attendance notes at client meetings, hearings and internal discussions.
• Assist with document review exercises and drafting amendments under supervision.
• Support on non-contentious sports matters where required, including review of commercial agreements.
• Support on Sports corporate transactions including due diligence, document management, and data room management.
• Deliver a high standard of client service in line with Firm values.
• Develop an understanding of clients’ commercial objectives and the wider sports industry context.
• Build positive working relationships with clients and external contacts.
• Escalate issues appropriately and respond constructively to feedback.
• Work collaboratively within the Sports team and across the wider Firm.
• Demonstrate a personable, approachable and team-oriented style.
• Contribute to a positive and supportive team culture.
• Take responsibility for own development and actively seek feedback.
• Behave in a manner consistent with the Firm’s values and expected standards of professionalism.
• Maintain an active interest in developments within sports and football law.
• Support the team with research and preparation for pitches, client updates and industry events where required.
• Attend relevant industry events when appropriate and provide internal updates.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of processes, templates and service delivery within the team.
• Comply with all Firm policies and procedures, including confidentiality and information security requirements.
• Adhere to SRA regulatory obligations and any relevant industry compliance standards.
• Maintain accurate file management and document control in accordance with Firm systems.
• Contribute to wider Firm projects and initiatives as required.

About you: You are confident, personable and someone people naturally enjoy working with. You build rapport easily, communicate clearly and bring positive energy to a team. You are genuinely interested in sports - particularly football - and curious about how the industry works behind the scenes. Whether you have worked in sports law before or you are looking to break into it, you are motivated to build specialist knowledge and develop real expertise. You will either have a background in, or a keen interest in, sports and football litigation and corporate/M&A transactions. You are organised, proactive and not afraid to get stuck in. You ask questions, take ownership of your work and thrive in a busy, fast-paced environment. You are just as comfortable supporting on detailed litigation tasks as you are collaborating with colleagues across the team. Most importantly, you are a team player. You take your work seriously - but not yourself - and you want to be part of a group that works hard, supports each other and delivers excellent results for clients.

Our Culture: Our culture is unique among law firms – both in what we expect from our people and the way we create value in the industries we serve. We empower our people, expect commitment and excellence, and celebrate when we achieve it. Our values are at the heart of everything that we do and define Wiggin as a workplace: being visionary, authentic, unified, responsible and excellent across-the-board. There isn’t a typical Wiggin person. We aim to build teams that are diverse in thought, perspective and experience to provide a more rounded service to our internal and external clients.

We offer an attractive remuneration package including 25 days holiday (plus birthdays off), private medical insurance, permanent health insurance and more from your first day of employment.