John Mehrzad QC was appointed silk in 2020 after just thirteen years’ practice at the Bar. He practises in employment, commercial and sports law with a focus on domestic and international sporting arbitrations and High Court business protection litigation. In terms of sports law, John mainly acts in financial disputes between clubs, managers, players and agents, and on regulatory matters, including disciplinary and equality issues. Amongst other roles, John is a leader in conducting independent reviews in sport, for example, UK Athletics’ handling of allegations concerning Alberto Salazar. John recalls as a ten-year old seeing the beautiful lawns and buildings […]
Heidi Stonecliffe QC has worked for the CPS since 2006 and is thought to be only the fourth lawyer – and the first woman – at the CPS to be made silk. The daughter of a legal secretary and railway worker, Heidi attended a girls’ grammar in Sittingbourne. Her schoolteachers expressed surprise when Heidi told them that she wanted to become a barrister, having been inspired by reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. One teacher asked at the time “Do women do that?” Called to the Bar in 1996, Heidi has practiced solely in criminal law, initially in a […]