Speakers

Tim Williamson is a partner and the head of the Regulatory team at Clarke Willmott LLP.

Clarke Willmott is a national law firm with over 600 staff and over 100 partners.  The firm has offices across the country in London, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Taunton and Southampton.  The Sports Law group is ranked in Tier 1 in the Legal 500 legal directory for Sports Law.

Tim is a criminal and health and safety lawyer by background, who is widely known for his expertise advising clubs and sports leagues about legal issues connected with the safe operation of the stadium.  Tim was instructed to advise a club issued with a Prohibition Notice pursuant to the Safety of Sports Ground Act 1975 and represented them in their successful appeal, the first occasion on which a Prohibition Notice is thought to have been successfully challenged in the courts.  Tim has advised many clubs throughout the English Football League in response to operational decisions of the Safety Advisory Group that affect the Club and following FA charges of Misconduct arising out of disorderly behaviour by supporters (pitch incursions and racist or homophobic chanting for example).  Tim has successfully defended club Directors investigated on suspicion of committing criminal offences arising out of alleged breaches of the Club’s Safety Certificate.

Tim has worked closely with the EFL over many years and has presented at EFL Safety Officer training days via webinar and at in-person training events.  Tim has also delivered presentations at the Football Safety Officers’ Association and the Rugby Union Safety Association. Tim has advised cricket clubs in the south west of England in connection with their ejection of disruptive supporters at cricket matches, which were in breach of ground safety regulations.

Tim is at the forefront of regulatory work at the interface between sport and health and safety law and when not working enjoys nothing more than riding the emotional roller coaster that goes with being a lifelong supporter of Southampton FC.