Graham Shear

Nottingham Forest

Successful claim against the FA to remove an FA-appointed arbitrator from a regulatory panel on the grounds of apparent bias (2025).

The New Lottery Company and Northern & Shell v The Gambling Commission

Public procurement challenge for the claimants, one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2025, with an eight-week trial from October 2025.

Playtech

High-value contractual dispute with Caliplay across litigation and arbitration in the UK and Mexico, resulting in revised terms and a settlement.

Société Générale de Banque au Liban and Bank Audi

Obtained an order for international transfers from a client’s accounts after an eight-day High Court trial in 2022; the banks’ applications for permission to appeal were dismissed. One of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2022.

Asturion Fondation

Continuing representation in highly contested proceedings to recover an ultra-high value property portfolio, including property in London.

Global brokerage firm

Two actions against a competitor over alleged misuse of confidential information, settled after the first week of a High Court trial, with a pioneering order for predictive coding.

Bumi plc shareholders

Advised Indonesian shareholders on an internal investigation and on Takeover Panel investigation and hearings concerning concert party issues.

HSBC

Advised the bank in London and Switzerland on the media investigation into, and consequences of, the Falciani data theft.

Phone hacking

Continuing advice to high profile celebrities arising out of Operations Weeting, Pinetree and Elveden.

Aman Hotels

Acted for an investor in the luxury hotel group in a major cross-border shareholder dispute in the British Virgin Islands.

Litigation & Risk

Contractual and shareholder disputes, specialist rights protection, complex recoveries and professional negligence, plus complex fraud and multi-jurisdictional internal investigations.

Commercial

Commercial and corporate litigation, including breach of contract claims, investment funds litigation and M&A disputes.

Crisis & Reputation

Crisis strategy and tactics, and defamation and reputation management for leading corporations and high net worth individuals.

Sports

Sports disputes including regulatory and employment matters, sports finance and M&A, and specialist advice to football clubs and regulators on governance.

Entertainment

Advising individuals and third parties in sport and entertainment on finance, defamation, privacy and crisis management.

Selected directory quotes

• “Graham is a force of nature. He is very energetic and drives teams forward.”Chambers and Partners, Commercial and Corporate Litigation

• “Graham is an impressive lawyer with a strong commercial focus and a good legal brain.”Chambers and Partners, Commercial and Corporate Litigation

• “He is a very good litigator.”Chambers and Partners, Sport

• “Graham is simply top of the market. He is the real deal. He has seen and done it all, and therefore can advise not only in terms of the highest level of service but with first-hand insight.”Chambers and Partners, Sport

• “Graham is a hands-on lawyer with a strong grasp of the detail and commercial realities of the matter.”Chambers and Partners UK 2025

• “Excellent commercial approach to cases and will always fight hard for a client.”Legal 500 UK 2025

International news stories and publications about lawyer Graham Shear.

• 2025BCLPBCLP successfully represents Nottingham Forest Football Club in FA case
• 2025BCLPBCLP recognised in The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2025
• 2022BCLPChapter in Football and the Law, 2nd edition
• 2021BCLPInterviewed by Law360 on leading commercial disputes
• 2019BBC NewsPop star Rita Ora among £3.4m fraud victims
• 2018BloombergSaudi King’s Widow Keeps Mansion on London’s Billionaire’s Row
• 2011The TelegraphLeveson Inquiry: as it happened, November 21
• 2006The TimesLawyer of the week: Graham Shear

• BCLP
• Chambers and Partners
• LawInSport
• Best Lawyers