Adam Willoughby

Adam specialises in:

• Employment Law

• Sports, Media, and Entertainment Law

• Business, Property and Probate Litigation

• Matrimonial Finance (with an emphasis on commercial and complex pension interests)

Adam has been described as having “an impressive analytical ability, a reassuring manner and a highly effective cross-examination style” who “always delivers impeccable results” (Chambers and Partners).

Employment

Adam is the Deputy Head of Employment Law and acts for businesses and individual clients both in the Employment Tribunal as well as in High Court commercial disputes arising from the employment relationship. Adam regularly advises and represents parties to appeals before the Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal.

Adam is highly sought after across the range of employment disputes, from unfair dismissal and discrimination cases to whistleblowing, equal pay, working time and TUPE issues. Adam also represents individuals the subject of disciplinary and regulatory proceedings.
Adam has established an excellent reputation for advising and representing professional sports clubs and athletes as well as corporate and individual clients operating in the Media and Entertainment industry in relation to disputes arising from contractual relationships and in regulatory and disciplinary matters.

Adam regularly appears in the Queen’s Bench Division and Chancery Division of the High Court in relation to litigation arising from the employment relationship and in relation to claims concerning director and shareholder responsibilities, including:

• Claims for unpaid wages, bonus, commission, and wrongful termination
• Restrictive covenants
• Breach of confidence
• Team moves and springboard relief
• Breach of fiduciary duty
• Shareholder disputes and s. 994 petitions
• Privacy and Defamation
• Intellectual Property

Sports, Media, and Entertainment Law

Adam is the Head of the Sports, Media and Entertainment Group. He acts in a diverse range of high profile and complex cases in the High Court and before tribunals, arbitral panels as well as in disciplinary and appeals panels.

The strength of Adam’s practice lies in his existing expertise in the complimentary fields of employment, corporate and commercial law.

Adam advises and represents sports clients, including athletes, teams, clubs, agents, broadcasters, and international and national sports governing bodies in disputes concerning:

• Commercial and contractual
• Disciplinary and regulatory
• Regulatory governance
• Anti-doping
• Privacy and Defamation
• Intellectual Property

Adam acts for a wide range of artists, performers and media personalities in disputes concerning:

• Privacy and Defamation
• Intellectual property
• Commercial and Contract
• Licensing
• Pre-publication injunctions
• Reputation management

Business, Property and Probate Litigation

Adam acts in a wide range of high value and complex disputes on behalf of claimant’s, defendants, and intervenors. Adam has established a strong reputation in representing and advising clients in the sports, media and entertainment industries as well as individuals and companies in disputes arising from the employment relationship. Adam advises and represents clients in disputes concerning:

• Commercial and employment contracts
• Restrictive covenants
• Team moves and springboard relief
• Breach of confidence
• Defamation and Privacy
• Intellectual Property
• Breach of fiduciary duty
• Claims for unpaid wages, bonus, commission, and wrongful termination
• Shareholder disputes and s. 994 petitions
• Partnership
• Agency
• Equitable Relief
• Professional Negligence
• Trusts, both express and implied, including TOLATA claims
• Family Provision – Inheritance Act 1975 applications
• Wills, Probate & Administration of Estates

Family

Adam has particular expertise in cases which include commercial interests, complex pension arrangements and in cases concerning complex corporate structures and trusts.

Adam advises and represents clients in ancillary relief proceedings from pre-issue to final hearings. Adam is highly sought after in cases featuring overseas assets, offshore accounts, special contributions within the marriage, inherited wealth, insolvency and financial dishonesty, alongside needs-based cases.

In addition to matrimonial finance, Adam advises and represents clients in cases brought under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 and Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.

Regulatory

Adam provides specialist advice and representation in cases concerning disciplinary and regulatory law across a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, financial services, professional services, legal services, media and sport. Adam has also appeared in several inquests at which he represented healthcare professionals accused of serious misconduct.

Adam represents clients at all stages of proceedings before disciplinary panels, statutory tribunals and before the courts, including the appellate courts. Adam understands the potential reputational damage that such proceedings can cause and so works in a client-focused manner, providing straight-forward and practical advice at the early stages of proceedings. The strength of Adam’s practice lies in his existing expertise in the complimentary fields of employment, corporate and commercial law.

Examples of Adam’s work include advising and representing clients before the General Osteopathic Council’s Professional Conduct Committee, the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Fitness to Practise Committee, Sports Resolution UK, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Rugby Football Union Panel, the Health and Care Professions Council and the General Medical Council’s Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.

Adam is head of the Sports, Media and Entertainment Team and Deputy Head of the Employment Law Team. Adam is recognised within Chambers and Partners and has recently been noted as:

"Adam Willoughby is deputy head of the employment law team. He is praised for his work in complex discrimination claims, particularly involving vulnerable claimants. He offers expertise across the whole range of employment law, acting for claimants and respondents.He is a very clever chap with an excellent employment practice."

(Chambers and Partners 2022-2026)

"Adam’s preparation and attention to detail is always first rate. He has an impressive analytical ability, a reassuring manner and a highly effective cross-examination style". "He goes over and above on every case, he has an incredible manner with the clients, and he is such a kind and generous person with his time who always delivers impeccable results". "He is an approachable barrister who is thorough and diligent".

(Chambers and Partners, 2022)

Client feedback has identified Adam as an “impressive and highly effective advocate” with “exceptional analytical ability” and as “tactically very astute”. Adam is a “formidable advocate” with “exceptional intellectual ability”. His written opinions have been described as “clear, concise and thorough” and his pleadings are “consistently very good”.

Adam is also a highly sought after speaker having been invited to speak to delegations in New York, Dallas, Chicago and the UK.

Fatima v Family Channel Ltd & anor [2020] EWCA Civ 824
Represented appellant in her appeal to the Court of Appeal which considered the interplay between an unsuccessful application to adjourn a trial under CPR 3.1(2)(b) and a subsequent application under CPR 39.3 to set aside judgment against a non-attending party.

Tattu Manchester Ltd v Powell (Employment Appeal Tribunal)
Represented the respondent in her response to an appeal to the EAT which considered whether the Tribunal had wrongly interpreted a bonus scheme to mean pre rather than post EBIDTA figures and whether it had wrong concluded there had been a breach of contract.

Jones v. G4S Secure Solutions (Employment Appeal Tribunal)
Represented the respondent in its appeal to the EAT which considered whether there had been a dismissal of the claimant following reinstatement on a domestic appeal, considering Roberts v. West Coast Trains Ltd [2004] EWCA Civ 900.

Thomas v Ladbrokes Betting and Gaming Ltd (Employment Appeal Tribunal)
Represented the claimant in her appeal brought by the respondent in which the EAT considered whether the Tribunal had substituted its view for that of the employer in finding that the claimant had been unfairly dismissed.

Hunt v. DVSA (Employment Appeal Tribunal)
Represented the appellant in her appeal on the issue of whether the Tribunal erred in its findings that she was not constructively dismissal.

Featherstone Rovers v Griffin
Represented the club concerning breach of contract by a player.

Keith Deller Sports Management Limited v Adrian Jackpot Lewis Limited & Adrian Lewis
Represented Sports Agent concerning claim against a professional darts player for unpaid fees and in its defence of a counterclaim alleging breach of the agency agreement.

Other examples of Adam’s recent work includes:

Representing an RFL club in a dispute with a player who breached his playing contract by having unauthorised dealings with a competing club.

Representing a high-profile professional football player in a claim brought by his former agent in respect of unpaid commissions.

Representing an international rugby player concerning his blocked transfer to another club in Canada.

Representing a professional footballer in a claim against him by a sponsor for breach of the sponsorship agreement.

Representing a multi-national firm in a claim for injunctive relief and damages against a former employee in respect of alleged misuse of commercially sensitive information and breach of restrictive covenants.

Represented a claimant in a petition under s. 994 Companies Act 2006 following her exclusion as a minority shareholder and deprivation of dividend payments. Relief sought was in excess of £19m.

Representing a defendant in a dispute concerning an alleged indemnity to return sales commissions.

Advising and representing an international firm in a claim for injunctive relief and damages against a former employee in respect of alleged misuse of commercially sensitive information and breach of restrictive covenants.

Representing a nationwide motor trading company in its defence of claims of passing off, breach of trademark and copyright.

Advising and representing a high-profile professional footballer in ancillary relief proceedings which included defending the claims of an agent intervening.

Advising and representing an applicant in ancillary relief proceedings in which the key issue concerned a substantial discretionary family trust worth in excess of £30m.

Advising a national publication as to allegations of defamatory statements against a competing publication.

Advising an international food manufacturing company in the wake of public allegations of mislabelling products.

E: clerks@broadwayhouse.co.uk

T: 01274 722 560 or 0113 246 2600