Zane is an Associate Partner in the Sports, Media and Commercial team and provides commercial advice to global brands, international sporting bodies and events and high-profile individuals. He specialises in drafting commercial contracts including sponsorship, joint venture, merchandising, broadcasting, new media, agency, distribution and image rights agreements, venue agreements and IP and software licences. He has negotiated numerous lucrative sponsorship and supplier agreements and other event related contracts on behalf of sporting events and governing bodies including the PGA European Tour, Ryder Cup, World Marathon Majors, London Marathon, RideLondon and the All England Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon). Zane recently advised a broadcaster on its purchase of the broadcasting rights of a top-tier football league in Africa.
In addition, Zane has worked on a number of high profile Premier League football transfers and renegotiations. He has also successfully represented a well-known football agent in disciplinary proceedings brought by the FA. Zane has written a number of articles for the trade press and is the author of “Brand Games: How Not To Get Sued”, an article written for the Sports Journalist Association website about 2012 London Olympic legislation. He also wrote the controversial “Are Match Officials Fair Game?”, which was published in the British Association for Sport and Law Journal and “The Fifa Ethics Committee: An Oxymoron?“ for the professional body, aat ethics.
Zane has been credited in the Legal 500 as being ‘quick, and fantastic at drafting’ and is regularly requested by television broadcasters to provide his opinion on current sports law issues.