UK sports boutique Centrefield has become the latest law firm to secure outside backing, taking investment from mid-market private equity firm Palatine.
The Manchester-based firm, which counts Manchester United and Manchester City as clients, said it would use the investment to fund domestic and international growth in the US and mainland Europe.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval and its financial terms were not disclosed. Palatine is investing through its £254m Buyout Fund V, which puts between £10m and £50m into business services, technology and financial services firms with “a strong M&A strategy and scope for operational improvement” according to its website.
Centrefield acts for sporting organisations around the world, with a client list that includes most of the Premier League football clubs, EFL clubs and Major League Soccer in the US. It advises on matters ranging from transfers and contracts to dispute resolution and immigration, and increasingly on sports investments.
Centrefield was founded in 2015 by three former partners of North West law firm Brabners – Edward Canty, David Bentham and Matthew Bennett – with Stuart Baird being promoted to partner soon after.
The firm, which also has a growing media offering, said it had tripled in size to more than 30 staff including seven partners and had increased fee income by 20% in the last year. Accounts for the year to 31 March 2026 show net assets rising by 46% to £4.1m.
Canty commented: “The partners decided that if we wanted to maximise Centrefield’s potential to be the leading global specialist sports law firm we would need an experienced and collaborative investment partner to support us on the next stage of our journey.”
He added that interest in sport from an investment and regulatory perspective had “never been higher”, and that the funding from Palatine would enable the firm to “further invest in technology and in our people, while continuing to broaden our sector specialisms”.
Following completion, Centrefield will continue to be led by its existing management team and operate under the Centrefield brand. Palatine Buyout Fund partner Tom Wildig and Palatine group managing partner Gary Tipper will join Centrefield’s board.
The deal comes amid ongoing private equity interest in the legal sector, driven by its high profit margins and steady cash flow, though investors are eschewing the top end of the legal market in favour of small-to-mid-sized, scalable practices.
Earlier this month 25-partner Greenwoods became the first mid-market practice in London to take private equity investment, from Gresham House, while in August offshore firm Mourant took a 27% minority investment from private equity firm MML.
And earlier in the year, London sports law boutique Northridge secured a minority investment from US private equity firm Cordillera Investment Partners.
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