Livida Legal, a regulated law firm.

Since joining the firm in 2025, she has played an active role in complex, multi-million-pound proceedings before the High Court and the Competition Appeal Tribunal, as well as supporting the team in other contentious and time-critical matters before FIFA and FA tribunals. She brings strong commercial and client-facing experience from her earlier role at an international law firm and is recognised for her diligence, organisation and clarity of communication.

Martina combines practical legal experience with exceptional academic credentials. She holds a First Class Honours degree in Sports Management from Loughborough University and a First Class LLB from City, University of London, providing her with a strong dual grounding in the commercial and legal dynamics of the industry. She is also multilingual, speaking English, Italian and Spanish.

Her thought leadership focuses on the intersection of regulation and athlete protection. She has written on safeguarding and athlete welfare in skiing, a sport she knows well. A lifelong sports enthusiast, Martina has competed in regional skiing competitions and played tennis from a young age, bringing a practical understanding of the athlete experience to her work.

She is recognised in the legal directories for her drive, determination, and commitment to her clients. She is described as someone who “consistently delivers clear, effective guidance and adds real value to every engagement,” and as “a really conscientious lawyer who cares about the work and goes the extra mile to understand the issues at play.”

Yama specialises in helping athletes navigate high-stakes disputes, including anti-doping, disciplinary, contractual and reputation management matters. She regularly represents clients before FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and has extensive experience defending elite international athletes across football, boxing, rugby, cricket, tennis, athletics and swimming. Her earlier work at Morgan Sports Law was dedicated to athlete-side anti-doping matters, giving her deep expertise in investigations and proceedings at the highest level.

Uniquely, she combines this regulatory knowledge with elite reputation management expertise. Drawing on her training at leading media law firm Carter-Ruck, she advises celebrities, influencers and other high-profile individuals on defamation, privacy and commercial partnerships. Her sports work focuses on advancing athlete rights through fair and accessible legal support, which led to her inclusion in the Athlete Legal Aid Program of the US Olympic and Paralympic Association.

Yama is a Trustee of Women in Sport and previously sat on the board of Crystal Palace FC’s charitable foundation. She is a contributor to LawInSport, having served on its Editorial Board, and is a lecturer at the Professional Footballers’ Association Business School.

Since joining the firm in 2025, she has played an active role in complex, multi-million-pound proceedings before the High Court and the Competition Appeal Tribunal, as well as supporting the team in other contentious and time-critical matters before FIFA and FA tribunals. She brings strong commercial and client-facing experience from her earlier role at an international law firm and is recognised for her diligence, organisation and clarity of communication.

Martina combines practical legal experience with exceptional academic credentials. She holds a First Class Honours degree in Sports Management from Loughborough University and a First Class LLB from City, University of London, providing her with a strong dual grounding in the commercial and legal dynamics of the industry. She is also multilingual, speaking English, Italian and Spanish.

Her thought leadership focuses on the intersection of regulation and athlete protection. She has written on safeguarding and athlete welfare in skiing, a sport she knows well. A lifelong sports enthusiast, Martina has competed in regional skiing competitions and played tennis from a young age, bringing a practical understanding of the athlete experience to her work.

She has advised clients at the top of the game for nearly 20 years and is consistently recommended as a ‘Leading Lawyer’ in the legal directories. The Legal 500 describes her as “probably the best sports lawyer in the country,” while Chambers quotes, “Liz knows everyone, she has seen everything, and there is a feeling of being in safe hands when she is involved,” adding that she is “world class – her ability to use the law to serve her clients is unrivalled.”

Liz founded the Sports Law Group at international law firm Mishcon de Reya LLP, establishing it as one of the UK’s leading specialist sports practices. She has acted on some of the most high-profile matters in sport and entertainment and advised on many of the biggest football transfers globally. Her deal experience spans hundreds of transactions for clubs, players, and managers worldwide, advising on transfers for the likes of Jude Bellingham, Roberto Firmino, Yaya Touré, Beth Mead MBE and Emma Hayes OBE.

Her clients include athletes, agents, owners, talent, governing bodies and global sports businesses, and she also provides consultancy at government level. Clients turn to Liz for practical, commercial and strategic advice, particularly in complex or high-pressure situations where experience and judgement are critical.

Liz is a qualified mediator through the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Civil Mediation Council, the International Mediation Institute, and is New York Part 146 trained. She holds a Masters in Sports Management and the Business of Football, a diploma in Sports Law, and serves in a number of advisory roles, including as a Non-Executive Director of Women in Football.

She is a licensed FIFA football agent – having been the youngest female agent when she qualified in 2005 – a lecturer at the Professional Footballers’ Association Business School, and the author of Livida Sport’s Global Guide to Football Transfers. Liz has been recognised internationally for her influence in the industry, being named in the Leaders’ List of Global Leaders in Sport Under 40 and ranked 13th in The Independent’s inaugural list of the 50 Most Influential Women in Sport.

She is recognised in the legal directories for her drive, determination, and commitment to her clients. She is described as someone who “consistently delivers clear, effective guidance and adds real value to every engagement,” and as “a really conscientious lawyer who cares about the work and goes the extra mile to understand the issues at play.”

Yama specialises in helping athletes navigate high-stakes disputes, including anti-doping, disciplinary, contractual and reputation management matters. She regularly represents clients before FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and has extensive experience defending elite international athletes across football, boxing, rugby, cricket, tennis, athletics and swimming. Her earlier work at Morgan Sports Law was dedicated to athlete-side anti-doping matters, giving her deep expertise in investigations and proceedings at the highest level.

Uniquely, she combines this regulatory knowledge with elite reputation management expertise. Drawing on her training at leading media law firm Carter-Ruck, she advises celebrities, influencers and other high-profile individuals on defamation, privacy and commercial partnerships. Her sports work focuses on advancing athlete rights through fair and accessible legal support, which led to her inclusion in the Athlete Legal Aid Program of the US Olympic and Paralympic Association.

Yama is a Trustee of Women in Sport and previously sat on the board of Crystal Palace FC’s charitable foundation. She is a contributor to LawInSport, having served on its Editorial Board, and is a lecturer at the Professional Footballers’ Association Business School.