Thomas Horton has a practice specialising in sports, insolvency, commercial litigation and property.

As fully set out in his areas of expertise below, Thomas has extensive experience in each of these practice areas.

In sports, Thomas regularly represents and advises clubs, athletes, intermediaries, and other participants involved in regulatory and commercial disputes. Thomas has been ranked as a ‘Rising Star’ (Legal 500, 2022 – London Bar) and a ‘Leading Junior’ (Legal 500, 2024 and 2025 – London Bar) for sport, demonstrating his expertise and growing reputation in this practice area. Thomas regularly appears before sports’ governing bodies’ disciplinary panels and before specialist arbitration panels, including FA Rule K arbitrations. Thomas spent 12 months as an Associate Barrister in Squire Patton Boggs’ sports litigation team from 2021 to 2022. Thomas is an appointed member of UEFA’s Pro Bono Counsel List and Sport Resolutions’ Pro Bono Legal Advice Panel.

In insolvency, Thomas usually acts for creditors and office holders in bankruptcy and insolvency matters, and also has significant experience representing debtors, bankrupts and fiduciaries. Thomas regularly appears as sole counsel in the High Court in insolvency matters,

Thomas is Direct Access qualified and is therefore able to accept instructions directly from members of the public, companies, and other entities.

Expertise

  • Advising a football agent being investigated by the FA in respect of an alleged breach of the FA Football Agent Regulations and assisting with drafting responses to the FA’s inquiries, which resulted in the agent not being charged with any alleged breach.
  • Advising a UAE professional football team in respect of a FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber decision relating to non-payment of player wages, and compliance with FIFA’s Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal.
  • Advising and representing a member of coaching staff of a Premier League football club charged with a breach of the FA Rules, r. E3.1 for conduct towards a referee, despite already being sanctioned with a one-match touchline ban by the Premier League for the same conduct. The case concerned issues of jurisdiction between the FA and the Premier League and double jeopardy. No further sanction was imposed by the FA.
  • Representing professional snooker players charged with involvement in match fixing and placing bets on snooker matches. A copy of the Independent Disciplinary Commission’s decision is available here.
  • Representing an EFL Championship player charged by the FA with a breach of FA Rules, rule E8.1 for placing 484 bets on football matches, including matches which the player and/or the player’s club were involved in, and obtaining a four-month suspension. The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons are available here.
  • Representing a football agent in a Rule K arbitration claim against a former player client for non-payment of commission totalling over £200,000.
  • Representing a Premier League club in a Rule K arbitration concerning non-payment of an agent’s commission payments.
  • Representing a Premier League football club facing a claim by a sport advertising company in respect of breaches of a contract under which the club’s advertising space was sold to third parties, alleging covering of advertising space and wrongful termination.
  • Representing a football agent charged by the FA with a breach of the FA’s Working with Intermediaries Regulations for failing to declare he acted for a Premier League football club anda football player in a player transfer. Included a successful appeal to an FA Appeal Board against sanction originally imposed by an FA Regulatory Commission.*
  • Advising an agent in respect of non-payment of commission payments due in respect of the transfer of a Premier League player.
  • Representing a Premier League player in a dispute with his club in respect of non-payment of bonuses contained in the player contract with a total value of £3.5m.*
  • Representing an EFL Championship club in reaching an Agreed Decision with the EFL in respect of the club’s breach of the EFL Regulations for failing to pay players’ wages.*
  • Representing an EFL Championship club facing inquiries from the EFL and the Premier League concerning the club’s corporate structure and compliance with the EFL’s and the Premier League’s respective Owners’ and Directors’ Tests.*
  • Representing a former manager of a Premier League club in a claim for unpaid bonus payments with a total value of £500,000.*
  • Representing an EFL League Two football player charged with an aggravated breach of the FA Rules, rule. E3.1 and, following the football player’s admission of the charge, obtaining the ‘Standard Minimum’ punishment for the same.
  • Representing a National League football player faced with an aggravated breach of the FA Rules, rule. E3.1 and successfully having the charge dismissed.
  • Representing a National League football player and successfully opposing an appeal made by a National League club against a decision of the National League Board concerning the football player’s valid termination of employment.
  • Advising an EFL League One football club in respect of refunds due to season ticket holders following COVID-19 causing the cancellation of football matches.
  • Representing an England Lacrosse and GB Lacrosse Training Squad player charged with a breach of the UKAD Anti-Doping Rules for the presence of RAD140 and ostarine in a Sample.
  • Representing a Rugby Football Union Championship player facing a charge for a breach of the RFU’s Anti-Doping Regulations in respect of a contaminated supplement, raising issues of intent and ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’.
  • Successfully representing a Team GB boxer alleged to have committed a Domestic Testing Pool Filing Failure in respect of Whereabouts information provided.
  • Representing a disabled international tennis player charged with a breach of the International Tennis Federation’s Tennis Anti-Doping Programme for medication taken routinely and as a consequence of the player’s disabilities, and obtaining a one-year sanction on the basis that the breach was committed with ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’. A copy of the decision is available here.
  • Representing a Rugby Football League Championship player charged by the RFL for a breach of the RFL’s Anti-Doping Regulations, raising issues of jurisdiction, intention and no significant fault or negligence. The National Anti-Doping Panel’s decision is available here.
  • Representing a EFL Championship player charged by the FA for a breach of the FA’s Social Drugs Regulations for an offence committed while still registered with his former club.
  • Representing an EFL League Two football player in an appeal against a decision of an FA Regulatory Commission concerning an FA Anti-Doping Regulation violation and, in particular, obtaining a reduced sanctiondue to the incoming World Anti-Doping Agency’s 2021 Code.
  • Representing an EFL Championship football player charged with a violation of the FA Anti-Doping Regulations and successfully applying the lex mitiorprinciple to obtain a suspension of three months rather than between one to two years.
  • Representing Essex County Cricket Club following a charge of breaching the England and Wales Cricket Board’s Directives concerning allegations of racism and a lack of investigation into the same. The Disciplinary Panel’s decision can be found here.*
  • Representing a child charged with a breach of Swim England’s safeguarding regulations. Although the charge was initially found proven against the child, the decision was successfully set aside on appeal.
  • Advising and representing a Kennel Club judge in seeking to appeal or set aside a decision that removed the judge’s accreditation to judge Championship Obedience classes.
  • Advising a golf club on compliance with its disciplinary regulations being applied to its members, and steps to take following members requisitioning a club meeting in respect of allegations made against the club’s directors.

* Work completed while employed by Squire Patton Boggs.

  • Successfully advising and representing a company seeking to enforce a judgment debt of over £400,000 by obtaining a charging order over the debtor’s personal pension, and ultimately a Blight v Brewster order over the debtor’s personal pension (Century Property (Leeds) Ltd v Eville & Jones (Group) Ltd & ors [2025] EWHC 1348 (KB) and [2025] EWHC 1949 KB).
  • Advising and representing a former owner of a company that was subject to a pre-pack administration in respect of claims arising from that pre-pack administration and associated agreements, raising issues of breach of contract, misrepresentation and loss of chance.
  • Successfully representing a company and its shareholders in opposing an application for judgment on admissions and summary judgment brought by another shareholder in a shareholder dispute claim (Fane v Wellesley & ors [2025] EWHC 352 (Ch)).
  • Advising a company facing a claim from an outsourced HR company for alleged breaches of service agreements and non-payment of fees, raising issues of wrongful termination, breach of contract, penalty clauses and a condition precedent ADR clause.
  • Representing a financial advisory company faced with a claim by a consultant formerly engaged by the company for alleged unpaid consultancy and other fees.
  • Representing a property developer in a claim against a contractor for failing to complete contracted works.
  • Representing a company that provides education, training, and consultancy services to the international sporting community in a claim for breach of a joint venture agreement brought against an international sports governing body.
  • Advising and representing, including at a mediation, a door manufacturing company in a claim against a property developer for non-payment of delivered goods.
  • Representing a marketing agency faced with claims for repayment of money in respect of sponsorship rights relating to international and domestic football teams.
  • Appearing in the High Court and successfully obtaining an adjournment of an interim injunction application made by Ofgem against an energy supplier.
  • Advising a global engineering company facing a claim for a placement fee from a recruitment agency.
  • Advising a holiday home company facing a claim by a consumer in respect of the quality of a holiday home.
  • Regularly advising, drafting, and appearing on behalf of a trade company concerning the enforcement of personal guarantees provided by company clients’ directors.

  • Successfully representing a company in an application for a validation order for payments to be made to its employees and in the usual course of its business following the presentation of a winding-up petition for an alleged debt of over £280,000.
  • Successfully representing a trustee in bankruptcy in obtaining an order for possession and sale of a bankrupt’s property valued at c. £500,000, requiring a determination on the basis upon which the bankrupt and a co-owner held the beneficial interest in the property upon purchase of the same, and defeating defences of an alleged common intention constructive trust and/or gift.
  • Representing a petitioning creditor in respect of an unpaid debt of £330,000 and supporting creditors in excess of £9.7 million, and dealing with the issue of the court granting permission for bankruptcy proceedings to continue following abuse of the Breathing Space Moratorium regime.
  • Advising and assisting a director in drafting an affidavit in response to a claim seeking a directors disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 following a company CVL and an unpaid Bounce Back Loan.
  • Advising and assisting in the preparation of an application to the courts of Gibraltar seeking a letter of request to be sent to the courts of England and Wales to assist with obtaining orders against relevant persons in England for provision of information and documents relevant to the administration of a Gibraltar company.
  • Advising and representing a petitioning creditor in respect of an error in the name of the creditor / petitioning creditor in the statutory demand and bankruptcy petition, where the creditor referred to a trust rather than the trustees as the relevant creditor / petitioning creditor.
  • Successfully representing a petitioning creditor opposing an application made by a bankrupt to annul or rescind a bankruptcy order.
  • Advising joint liquidators on claims against directors for misfeasance or breaches of duties for cash withdrawals from a company bank account, payments by way of directors’ loan accounts, and illegal dividends.
  • Successfully representing a trustee in bankruptcy in obtaining a Limited Civil Restraint Order against a bankrupt that made several applications in the bankruptcy proceedings that were totally without merit.
  • Representing a trustee in bankruptcy in successfully obtaining a suspension to a bankrupt’s automatic discharge from bankruptcy.
  • Advising and representing a trustee in bankruptcy in obtaining an order for private examination of a bankrupt and an income payment order.
  • Advising and representing a former director of an insolvent company facing a claim for misfeasance in respect of an overdrawn director’s loan account and sums withdrawn from the company.
  • Appearing as junior counsel in a claim brought by administrators against directors of an insurance company based in Gibraltar concerning breaches of directors’ duties, transactions at undervalue and unlawful distributions.
  • Representing and advising a company director in an application made by joint liquidators alleging misfeasance in respect of dividends paid by the company to the director before the company was placed into CVL.
  • Successfully representing petitioning creditors faced with an application to annul or rescind a bankruptcy order, including addressing issues relating to a Mental Health Crisis Moratorium and a Breathing Space Moratorium.
  • Successfully representing creditors faced with applications made by debtors to set aside statutory demands on the basis that the debts concerned were allegedly disputed on substantial grounds.
  • Advising joint liquidators on claims against a director for fraudulent trading and misfeasance relating to a company’s VAT and Corporation Tax liabilities and cash withdrawals.
  • Successfully representing a trustee in bankruptcy opposing an application made by a bankrupt to remove the trustee in bankruptcy from office.
  • Advising a shareholder on the prospects of establishing a claim for relief for unfair prejudicial conduct.
  • Appearing in the High Court either representing creditors that have presented winding-up petitions or companies opposing a winding-up order being made.
  • Advising and representing administrators in making an application to extend the administration of a company by two years.
  • Representing trustees in bankruptcy in an application for orders for possession and sale of properties owned by a bankrupt.
  • Appearing as junior counsel for a respondent facing an application to revoke approval provided at a creditors’ meeting for an IVA. The application was successfully dismissed, and costs were awarded on the indemnity basis.

  • Advising and representing the owner of a commercial premises in a boundary and adverse possession dispute affecting access to the commercial premises.
  • Advising an individual and their representatives on a claim alleging undue influence and duress in respect of the sale of a property.
  • Advising the owner of a long-leasehold interest in a property in defending a claim alleging breach of a restrictive covenant in the lease following renovation works completed at the demised premises.
  • Representing landlords at possession hearings.
  • Representing a private landlord in the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) facing an application by former tenants for a rent repayment order under s. 41 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.
  • Representing a landlord of a commercial premises in an application made by a tenant for determination of disputed terms of a lease pursuant to ss. 33-35 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
  • Advising and assisting a public company who was the landlord of a business premises. The tenant of the business premises had fallen into administration and the administrators had subsequently granted a licence to occupy the business premises to a third party in breach of the terms of the lease. The landlord sought to recover possession of the business premises. A settlement was ultimately reached with the administrators of the tenant and with the third party, avoiding the need of the landlord to apply to the High Court to lift the moratorium that otherwise prevented the landlord from starting legal proceedings to recover possession of the business premises.
  • Representing the owner of a long-leasehold interest in a property in a claim against the freehold owner of the property for breaches of repair covenants.
  • Advising and representing a charity that owns the freehold interest in a plot of land in a claim seeking possession of the same from trespassers, which included an application for an Interim Possession Order, making an application for an interim injunction and a contempt application.
  • Advising and assisting a landlord in responding to a tenant’s notice served pursuant to s. 42 of the LRHUDA 1993 and exercising their right to acquire a new lease.
  • Advising and assisting a tenant in respect of the formalities to effectively serve a notice pursuant to s. 42 of the LRHUDA 1993 in circumstances where the tenant occupied a property under a sublease.
  • Appearing on behalf of a leaseholder in the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) opposing a landlord’s application for alleged breaches of covenant, and for the determination of liability and reasonableness of service charge payments.
  • Advising and assisting a limited company who was the landlord of a business premises that had been destroyed in an arson attack. The landlord sought to bring a claim against the tenant who was in occupation of the business premises at the time of the arson attack or alternatively to make a claim pursuant to an insurance policy taken out by the landlord.

Thomas is able to accept instructions directly from members of the public, companies and other entities through the public access scheme (also known as direct access). He is happy to accept instructions on a direct basis in appropriate cases. If you wish to instruct Thomas on a direct basis, please speak to the practice managers.

For more information on public access, please see the Bar Council website.

"Thomas is absolutely fabulous. He is incredibly hard-working and diligent, and is a great advocate." "He is a very good drafter, good at cross-examinations and thinks outside the box. He always makes himself available to help with ad hoc queries and is user-friendly." - Sport

Chambers & Partners 2026

'Tom is very good at getting to the heart of the issue and has a commercial outlook on all matters.' - Insolvency

Legal 500 2026

‘Tom demonstrates exceptional legal knowledge, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of the complex regulatory landscape of the sport. Their advocacy is marked by clarity, precision, and a persuasive style.' - Sport

legal 500 2026

‘Thomas is really making a name for himself in the sports sector and building a strong profile. His knowledge of the sector is superb, as is his attention to detail. He’s a strong advocate.’ - Sport

Legal 500 2025

'Thomas has a good and practical approach to applying law to the facts.'

Legal 500 2024 – London Bar – Sport – Leading Junior

‘Smart, able to hone into the key legal points whilst also applying a practical mindset’

Legal 500 2022 – London Bar – Sport – Rising Star

Related news & articles

Enforcement of judgment debt against personal pension

24th Jun 2025

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Everton’s Appeal Provides Sanction Guidance

11th Mar 2024

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Toffees Left in a Sticky Situation

21st Dec 2023

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Related cases

Century Property (Leeds) Ltd v Aldiss & Anor (Consequential matters) [2025] EWHC 1949 (KB)

24th Jun 2025

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Century Property (Leeds) Ltd v Aldiss & Anor [2025] EWHC 1348 (KB)

4th Jun 2025

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Fane v Wellesley & Ors [2025] EWHC 352 (Ch)

25th Feb 2025

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