Ian Mill KC is a leading silk, who has appeared frequently in substantial, high profile contractual and intellectual property disputes in the Chancery Division, the Commercial Court, the Court of Appeal, offshore in the BVI, Bermuda and Cayman and in international and domestic arbitrations.

Ian also sits regularly as an arbitrator in relation to high value commercial and company disputes, including disputes in the areas of media and entertainment and sport, and in relation to regulatory and disciplinary actions brought domestically and internationally by various sporting Governing Bodies. In particular, since 2014 he has acted as an Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer for world tennis; he sits as a Steward of Appeal of the British Boxing Board of Control; he has chaired International Tennis Federation Anti-Doping cases, PGA Disciplinary Panels, WPBSA Disciplinary Commissions and ECB Child Protection appeals, as well as numerous FA Rule K and FA Premier League Panels.

In 2023, Ian was elected as a judge to the FIA International Tribunal and International Court of Appeal.

Ian is a CEDR accredited Mediator - with a particular focus on resolving complex commercial, sports and intellectual property disputes and high value employment matters.

In December 2013, Ian was ranked as one of Chambers UK’s Top Silk Bar 100, in their inaugural listing of the top barristers practising at the Bar of England & Wales.

Ian has for many years been highly recommended in both the leading independent legal directories, Chambers UK and Legal 500, across a wide range of specialist disciplines: commercial litigation, civil fraud, intellectual property, international arbitration, media & entertainment and sport.

He was named The Lawyer's Barrister of the Week in February 2021.

Experience

Shortlist

Commercial

Ian has established his position as a Leading Silk in this field through the clarity of his contractual analysis, and through his performance, in particular as a trial lawyer, in cases involving such diverse subjects as jurisdiction and conflicts of laws, commercial fraud, professional negligence, media & entertainment, intellectual property and sport.

Cases

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Arbitration

Ian has a substantial practice in both domestic and international commercial arbitrations as an advocate, and in arbitrations in a largely sporting context both as an advocate and as a decision-maker. In 2023, Ian was elected as a judge to the FIA International Tribunal and International Court of Appeal.

Cases

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Mediation

Ian is a CEDR accredited Mediator - with a particular focus on resolving complex commercial, sports and intellectual property disputes and high value employment matters. Ian is able to draw upon his long experience of litigating significant disputes in each of these areas of his practice in order to add value as a mediator.

Shortlist

Media & Entertainment

Ian is and has been for may years the standalone top rated silk in this area of practice in Chambers UK and The Legal 500. He has appeared in many of the major recent cases in this field (involving both contract and intellectual property issues). He has advised and acted for a large number of famous performers, as well as all the major record companies and music publishers, all the principal music industry trade bodies and collecting societies and numerous film, theatre, TV and radio companies, directors and producers.

Cases

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Intellectual Property

Ian is rated as a leading practitioner in the field of intellectual property in the latest editions of both Chambers UK and The Legal 500. His work in this field is largely but not exclusively limited to soft IP (copyright, passing off, confidential information). However, he has also become increasingly involved in recent years in patent licensing disputes.

Cases

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Sport

Ian is rated as a leading silk in sports disputes by both Chambers UK and The Legal 500.  He has specialist knowledge of a wide range of sporting issues, having acted for many individuals, teams, organisers, managers, governing bodies and sports broadcasters. 

As well as acting for parties, Ian has established himself as an experienced decision-maker in sporting disputes. Since UK Athletics appointed him to sit as Chairman of its Disciplinary Committee to hear the so-called “nandrolone” doping cases involving 6 athletics (including Linford Christie, Dougie Walker and Mark Richardson) shortly after he took silk, he has developed a reputation for decision making across a wide range of sports and in a wide variety of contexts (including both disciplinary processes and contractual disputes). For example, the FA has appointed him to chair a number of appeals from FA Disciplinary Commissions; he has been appointed and has sat as an FA Premier League Panel Member, a Chairman of the Sport Resolution's Panel of Arbitrators, Chairman of an International Cricket Council Tribunal and of several ECB Child Protection Appeal Panels, Chairman of several International Tennis Federation Anti-Doping Tribunals, a Football Association Arbitrator, a Football League Arbitrator, an RFU Disciplinary Appeal Chairman and an Appeal Steward of the British Boxing Board of Control. In September 2010, he was appointed by the World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association to hear its disciplinary proceedings against the snooker player, John Higgins. Very recently, he was appointed by Sports Resolutions as the chair of the WPBSA disciplinary panel that heard and decided the match-fixing allegations against 10 Chinese snooker players. He was appointed a Tennis Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer in 2014 and has since conducted a number of cases as such. In 2023, Ian was elected as a judge to the FIA International Tribunal and International Court of Appeal.

Recent decision-making experiences have included the following:

  • Acted as the chair of the WPBSA panel which heard match-fixing allegations against 10 Chinese snooker players.
  • Acted as an international tennis Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer in a number of proceedings brought against players and other participants in the sport.
  • Acted as Steward of appeal of the British Boxing Board of Control to resolve a number of appeals from arbitral/disciplinary decisions of the Board. 
  • Acted as sole arbitrator in very recent commercial disputes between (a) a boxer and a promotor, and (b) a Premier League footballer and his former manager.
  • Acted as chair of a number of International Tennis Federation Doping Tribunals (most recently in March 2017).
  • Acted as member of a panel to hear claims between the former Cardiff City Manager and the club (2014).
  • Acted as chair of a PGA Disciplinary Panel which decided proceedings brought against the English golfer, Simon Dyson (2013).
  • Acted as member of a panel to decide issues between the Football League and Watford FC (2013).
  • Acted as chair of a panel to resolve issues between the former Southampton FC manager and the club (2013).
  • Acted as member of a panel to resolve the appeal by London Welsh RFC against the RFU’s refusal to admit it to the Premiership (2012).

Ian was appointed to the Sports Advocacy Section of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Pro Bono Legal Advice and Representation Service.

He is also a consulting editor of the International Sports Law Review, the co-author of the Arbitration chapter in Sports Law (Lewis & Taylor, 4th Edition), and co-author of the Arbitration chapter in the forthcoming publication, The Law Relating to Football (2nd edition).

Cases

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Civil Fraud, Asset Recovery & Injunctive Relief

Ian has for many years acted for claimants and defendants in substantial and often multi-jurisdictional fraud claims.

Cases

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Professional Negligence

Ian has been instructed in substantial cases over the years dealing with professional negligence, for the most part involving the legal profession. In addition to the cases listed below, he has brought a successful claim by a commercial organisation against Slaughter & May, and successful claims for two Formula One racing teams against their respective solicitors, Linklaters and Baker & McKenzie. He also represented a barrister in defence of the most substantial claim brought against a member of the Bar, in relation to tax advice given by him.

Cases

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Achievements

Selected earlier reported cases

Commercial

  • Lissack v Manhattan Loft Corporation (2012)
  • Standard Bank v Al Jaber (2012)
  • Duet Real Estate & Anor v ESO Capital (2012)
  • Slocom Trading & Anor v Tatik Inc. & Ors (2012)
  • Rugby Football Union v Viagogo [2011] EWCA Civ 1585;  [2012] SLR 31 
  • Fulham FC v FA Premier League & Anor (2011 – 2012)
  • Grayken v Grayken (2011)
  • Masri v Khoury (2011)
  • Proactive Sports Management v Rooney [2011] SLR 36, [2010] EWHC 1807 (QB)
  • Fulham FC v FA Premier League & Anor (2011 – 2012)
  • Drafted a set of arbitral rules in relation to, and established a panel of arbitrators to resolve, music industry disputes under the auspices of Phonographic Performance Limited. Announced at the AGM of PPL in 2010.
  • Masri v Khoury (2011)
  • Rusal & Anor v Corbiere & Anor (2011)
  • Grayken v Grayken (2011)
  • Chinachem Charitable Foundation v Tony Chan & Ors (2009)
  • Rayden v Edwardo (2009)
  • Hitchcox & Anor v Handelsman & Ors 
  • Sheffield United FC v West Ham United FC (2007- 2009)
  • Bertram & Ors v Baker Tilly & Anor (2008)
  • Neo Sports Broadcast v Star India (2008)
  • El Nasharty v J Sainsbury plc [2008] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 360
  • Sheffield United FC v FA Premier League (Premier League arbitration, 2007)
  • Williams FI and McLaren Racing v Linklaters and Baker & McKenzie (2006)
  • El Nasharty & Ors v Sainsbury’s [2004] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 309), [2008] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 360.
  • Lewis v Eliades & Ors [2003] 1 All ER (Comm) 850, [2004] 1 WLR 692; [2004] 1 All ER 1196)
  • Summit Financial Group Limited v Slaughter & May (1999)

Arbitration

  • Fulham FC v FA Premier League & Anor (2011 – 2012)
  • Drafted a set of arbitral rules in relation to, and established a panel of arbitrators to resolve, music industry disputes under the auspices of Phonographic Performance Limited. Announced at the AGM of PPL in 2010.
  • Sheffield United FC v West Ham United FC (2007- 2009)
  • Neo Sports Broadcast v Star India (2008)
  • El Nasharty v J Sainsbury plc [2008] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 360
  • Sheffield United FC v FA Premier League (Premier League arbitration, 2007)
  • El Nasharty & Ors v Sainsbury’s [2004] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 309), [2008] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 360.

Civil Fraud, Asset Recovery & Injunctive Relief

  • Duet Real Estate & Anor v ESO Capital (2012)
  • Slocom Trading & Anor v Tatik Inc. & Ors (2012)
  • Grayken v Grayken (2011)
  • Masri v Khoury (2011)
  • Rusal & Anor v Corbiere & Anor (2011)
  • Chinachem Charitable Foundation v Tony Chan & Ors (2009)
  • Rayden v Edwardo (2009)
  • El Nasharty v J Sainsbury plc [2008] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 360
  • El Nasharty & Ors v Sainsbury’s [2004] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 309), [2008] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 360.
  • Lewis v Eliades & Ors [2003] 1 All ER (Comm) 850, [2004] 1 WLR 692; [2004] 1 All ER 1196)

Professional Negligence

  • Bertram & Ors v Baker Tilly & Anor (2008)
  • Williams FI and McLaren Racing v Linklaters and Baker & McKenzie (2006)
  • Summit Financial Group Limited v Slaughter & May (1999)

Media & Entertainment

  • ITV v PRS/MCPS (2012)
  • Remus v BBC & Ors (2012)
  • Molko & Ors v Hewitt (2012)
  • Crosstown Music Company v Taylor & Anor (2010)
  • VPL v CSC (2010)
  • PPL v BHA (2010)
  • Winwood v Blackwell (2010)
  • Buchanan v Range & Anor
  • McLelland v Lightbody & Ors (2009)
  • Taylor v Le Bon & Ors (2010)
  • McPhail & Anor v Bourne & Ors (2008)
  • Wadlow v Samuel (2007)
  • Taylor v Rive Droite Music Limited [2006] EMLR 4) 
  • Spice Girls Ltd v Aprilia World Service BV [2000] EMLR 478, [2001] EMLR 174) 
  • Jonathan Shalit v Charlotte Church & Ors (2000)
  • Hadley & Ors v Kemp & Anor [1999] EMLR 589
  • Panayiotou & Ors v Sony Music Entertainment [1994] EMLR 229.

Intellectual Property

  • Generics v Yeda & Teva (2012)
  • ITV v PRS/MCPS (2012)
  • Remus v BBC & Ors (2012)
  • Hudson Bay v Umbro (2010)
  • VPL v CSC (2010)
  • PPL v BHA (2010)
  • Crosstown Music Company v Taylor & Anor (2008)
  • Philips Electronics & Ors v Alba & Anor (2010)
  • McPhail & Anor v Bourne & Ors (2008) 
  • BPI & Ors v Music Alliance [2008] EMLR 5 
  • Novello & Co Ltd v Keith Prowse Music Publishing Co Ltd [2004] EMLR 296), [2005] EMLR 477)

Partnership

  • Buchanan v Range & Anor
  • McLelland v Lightbody & Ors (2009)
  • Taylor v Le Bon & Ors (2010)

Sport

  • IWF v Lapikov (2012)
  • Rugby Football Union v Viagogo  [2011] EWCA Civ 1585;  [2012] SLR 31
  • FA v QPR (2011)
  • Fulham FC v FA Premier League & Anor (2010 – 2012)
  • Proactive Sports Management v Rooney [2011] SLR 36, [2010] EWHC 1807 (QB)
  • WPBSA v Higgins (2010)
  • Sports Network v Calzaghe [2009] ISLR 43
  • Sheffield United FC v West Ham United FC  [2009] ISLR 25
  • Re Vodafone McLaren Mercedes (“Ferrarigate”) (2007 – 2008)
  • Sheffield United FC v FA Premier League [2007] ISLR 77
  • Re Christine Ohuruogu (2006 - 2007)
  • Chelsea FC v Adrian Mutu [2007] ISLR 32
  • Re The Indianapolis Grand Prix (2005)

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