Jamie Singer

Singer began his legal career at the prestigious law firm Clifford Chance, where he gained experience in corporate and commercial law. Recognizing the growing significance of sports law, Singer moved to a dedicated sports group within Nicholson Graham & Jones (now part of K&L Gates), where he further specialised in advising clients within the sports industry.{{cite web |title=Onside Law and its History |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/cricket/article/onside-law-best-law-firms-5kfrz8035 |publisher=The Sunday Times |date=November 14, 2019}}

His experience in the sector led to a move to IMG, the global sports, events, and talent management company. At IMG, Singer served as the principal legal adviser for several key European divisions, including tennis, sponsorship consultancy, fashion, and the models divisions. This role saw him advising high-profile clients, negotiating commercial rights deals, and international contracts.

In 2005, Singer co-founded Onside Law, a sports-focused law firm in London. His firm has gone onto represent various sports federations, teams and athletes during legal issues, contract negotiations and transfer deals. Oliver Hunt and Simon Thorp.

Singer's firm represented footballer Eden Hazard during his 2019 transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid. At £130 million plus add-ons it was one of the largest transfer deals in world football at the time, only surpassed by deals for Neymar and Kylian Mbappé the two seasons prior to Hazard's transfer.{{cite web |title=Lawyer in the news: Oliver Hunt of Onside Law |url=https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/lawyer-in-the-news/lawyer-in-the-news-oliver-hunt/5070706.article |publisher=Law Society Gazette |date=June 24, 2019}} Aside from the transfer fee, Hazard signed a lucrative 5 year deal with the Madrid club, with the media speculating Hazard's annual wage thought to be around £20 million per year.{{cite web |last1=Netherton |first1=Alexander |title=Hazard 'offered £20m a year by Real' |url=https://www.tntsports.co.uk/football/hazard-offered-20m-a-year-by-real_sto7243425/story.shtml?welcome=eurosport |publisher=TNT Sports |date=April 24, 2019}}

Onside Law again represented a major football transfer to Real Madrid in the summer of 2023 when they represented Jude Bellingham in his £89 million transfer to Spain from Borussia Dortmund. Many clubs had been attempting to win Bellingham's signature since December 2022, following excellent form in the Bundesliga.{{cite web |title=Jude Bellingham, Liverpool, Manchester United and the battle to sign England star |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3611785/2022/11/21/jude-bellingham-transfer-battle-liverpool-united/ |publisher=NY Times |date=December 10, 2022}} The firm was also said to have represented Jude's brother, Jobe Bellingham, in his transfer to Sunderland in the same transfer window. The firm was said to have a "good relationship" with Real Madrid, one of the world's largest football clubs after it also negotiated Caroline Weir's transfer to the club a year prior along with Hazard a few years earlier.{{cite web |title=Hey Jude, is that your lawyer? |url=https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/obiter/hey-jude-is-that-your-lawyer/5116377.article |publisher=Law Gazette |date=June 20, 2023}}

His standing within the sports legal industry has led to many media publications frequently using him as a commentator on major legal sports issues.{{cite web |last1=Buckingham |first1=Philip |title=As Manchester United weigh up Antony’s future, what are their options? |url=http://nytimes.com/athletic/4859362/2023/09/14/antony-manchester-united-options/ |publisher=NY Times |date=September 14, 2023}} This included the November 2022 incident with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, where the player was critical of the club in a media interview.{{cite web |title=Cristiano Ronaldo, the legal position and whether Manchester United could terminate his contract |url=https://www.arabobserver.com/cristiano-ronaldo-the-legal-position-and-whether-manchester-united-could-terminate-his-contract/ |publisher=Arab Observer |date=November 16, 2022}} Initially there were talks of his contract being terminated for the breach, but ultimately led him to leave the club and make his high profile move to the Saudi Pro League.{{cite web |last1=O'Keeffe |first1=Greg |title=Cristiano Ronaldo: could Manchester United legally terminate his contract? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3900206/2022/11/18/ronaldo-manchester-united-contract-legal/ |publisher=NY Times |date=November 18, 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Richard |title=Cristiano Ronaldo: Will Manchester United terminate his contract over explosive interview? |url=https://news.sky.com/story/ronaldo-manchester-united-cristiano-terminate-contract-interview-12750451 |publisher=Sky News}}

Singer's legal work was put in the spotlight after his client Jannik Sinner tested positive for a banned substance in April 2024.{{cite web |title=Jannik Sinner off the hook - but locker-room murmurs linger |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/tennis/article/jannik-sinner-controversy-tennis-anti-doping-rules-kzw7tm2xx |publisher=The Times |date=August 23, 2024}} A subsequent investigation and hearing took place to establish the reasons for taking the banned substance, along with any potential ban.{{cite web |title=Jannik Sinner escapes drugs ban after two failed tests |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/tennis/article/jannik-sinner-escapes-drugs-ban-failed-tests-tennis-world-no1-ksp89hmnc |publisher=The Times |date=August 20, 2024}} In August 2024, Singer spoke extensively to the media after a tribunal found the positive test for steroids was unintentional.{{cite web |last1=Roush |first1=Ty |title=Tennis Star Jannik Sinner Tests Positive For Steroids—But Probe Finds It Was Unintentional |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2024/08/20/tennis-star-jannik-sinner-tests-positive-for-steroids-but-probe-finds-it-was-unintentional/ |publisher=Forbes |date=August 20, 2024}} The banned substance clostebol was found in two separate March 2024 drug checks, with some players calling for a lengthy ban, including Nick Kyrgios.{{cite web |last1=Rumsby |first1=Ben |title=Nick Kyrgios says Jannik Sinner should get two-year ban for failed drugs tests |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2024/08/20/nick-kyrgios-jannik-sinner-two-year-ban-failed-drugs-tests/ |publisher=The Telegraph |date=August 20, 2024}} The tribunal accepted Singer's legal argument that massages administered by his physiotherapist, were the cause of Jannik Sinner coming into contact with traces of the substance.{{cite web |last1=Walsh |first1=David |title=Jannik Sinner's overly neat tale ends with neatest suspension of all |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/tennis/article/jannik-sinner-doping-ban-tennis-david-walsh-rgf2jwqm9#:~:text=And%20a%20story%20that%20was,with%20Sky%20Sports%20on%20Saturday.&text=%E2%80%9CI%20don't%20think%20in,any%20stage%2C%E2%80%9D%20Henman%20said. |publisher=The Times}} The physiotherapist had used a treatment which contained clostebol to treat an injury on his own hands.{{cite web |last1=Briggs |first1=Simon |title=Sinner and his lawyers play system like a Stradivarius by negotiating three-month ban |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2025/02/15/jannik-sinner-handed-three-month-ban/ |publisher=Daily Telegraph |date=February 15, 2025}} Sinner was cleared in August 2024, but the decision received criticism on social media from some current players.{{cite web |title=Sinner cleared after testing positive twice for banned substance |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/articles/cq5d3nl1pd9o |publisher=BBC |date=August 20, 2024}}

Singer spoke to the BBC about the incident and some commentators and tennis professionals believing that Jannik Sinner had received preferential treatment as the world number one.{{cite web |last1=Baksi |first1=Catherine |title=Jamie Singer on representing Jannik Sinner to fight a doping ban |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/jamie-singer-on-representing-jannik-sinner-to-fight-a-doping-ban-0xf2gxsn6 |publisher=The Sunday Times |date=September 20, 2025}} Singer stated that "it was independent tribunals making those decisions, and that’s the critical piece here - nobody within tennis decided this, independent judges decided this."{{cite web |last1=Fuller |first1=Russell |title=Sinner 'worn down physically and mentally' by investigation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/articles/cjdkyypydj4o |publisher=BBC |date=August 21, 2024}} The comment into the doping investigation was subsequently widely reported.{{cite web |last1=Gill |first1=Aarav Singh |title=‘No One is Accusing Jannik’ – Lawyer Defends Sinner’s Integrity Amid Raging Doping Controversy |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/atp-tennis-news-no-one-is-accusing-jannik-lawyer-defends-sinners-integrity-amid-raging-doping-controversy/ |publisher=EssentiallySports |date=September 29, 2024}}

Despite being proven to be innocent of any wrongdoing, or taking the substance as a deliberate act, the World Anti-Doping Agency then put in a legal challenge against Sinner's verdict.{{cite web |title=Tennis world No. 1 Jannik Sinner gets 3-month ban to end doping case |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tennis-jannik-sinner-ban-doping-case/ |publisher=CBS News |date=February 15, 2025}} WADA had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an independent tribunal's decision in August to clear Sinner of wrongdoing.{{cite web |last1=Nair |first1=Rohith |title=Janner Sinner accepts three-month doping ban |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/sinner-accepts-three-month-doping-ban-after-settlement-with-wada-2025-02-15/ |publisher=Reuters |date=February 15, 2025}} The case was settled in February 2025 with Sinner accepting a 3 month suspension, which came at a time in the year meaning he wouldn't miss a single grand slam event.{{cite web |last1=Futterman |first1=Matthew |title=Jannik Sinner received anti-doping sanction following his positive tests |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5710847/2024/08/20/jannik-sinner-doping-positive-tennis-clostebol/ |publisher=NY Times |date=August 20, 2024}} Singer again spoke extensively to the media explaining the deal with WADA,{{cite web |last1=Schlachter |first1=Thomas |title=World No. 1 Jannik Sinner accepts three-month ban from tennis to settle doping case |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/15/sport/jannik-sinner-three-month-ban-tennis-spt-intl/index.html#:~:text=Jannik%20Sinner%20has%20accepted%20a,(WADA)%20announced%20on%20Saturday. |publisher=CNN}} admitting it was "quite tricky" to get Sinner to agree to any ban, since it was a team member who made the mistake and not him personally.{{cite web |title=Jannik Sinner's lawyer reveals convincing his client to agree on three-month WADA ban was 'quite tricky' |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/tennis-news/jannik-sinner-lawyer-jamie-singer-wada-ban-deal-13866234.html |publisher=Firstpost |date=February 24, 2025}} The suspension split tennis and many media commentators. the ill-informed commentary and also defended Jannik Sinner following more criticism from people within tennis.{{cite news |last1=Pavitt |first1=Michael |title=Jannik Sinner's lawyer hits back after Novak Djokovic labelled star's doping case as 'very unfair'|publisher=The Daily Mail |date=February 20, 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Rob |title=Jannik Sinner: Lawyer for world tennis number one hits back at 'unfair' criticism of doping case settlement |url=https://news.sky.com/story/jannik-sinner-lawyer-for-world-tennis-number-one-hits-back-at-unfair-criticism-of-doping-case-settlement-13312159 |publisher=Sky News |date=February 18, 2025}}{{cite web |title=How Jannik Sinner’s doping case and WADA agreement rocked the anti-doping world |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6149390/2025/02/24/jannik-sinner-wada-deal-doping-ban/ |publisher=NY Times |date=February 24, 2025}}

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