Dov Katz
Partner
"Dov Katz ... has a wealth of experience and connections, and is a true professional with an eye for detail."
Dov is a partner and sports lawyer in our Corporate team based in London.
Main areas of practice
Dov specialises in corporate finance with particular expertise in AIM flotations and acts for owner-managed businesses and those in the sports industry in all aspects of their life. He has broad transactional experience having acted on MBOs and general corporate transactions for investors and corporates. He provides excellent company law advice.
As a sports lawyer, Dov advises professional sportspersons and managers, working alongside agents, accountants and advisers, on all legal aspects of their careers, investments and personal lives. From negotiating the best possible terms, to moving home and dealing with defamation cases, Dov works alongside our contracts, real estate, private client and family law teams to provide round-the-clock expert and commercially sound advice when it’s needed most.
Clients
On the corporate side, Dov’s clients include owner-managed businesses, for example a children’s indoor entertainment business and HR, IT, telecommunications, event merchandising, sports agencies and recruitment companies.
Specifically within the sports sector, he acts for a number of sports personalities within the Premier League and the Championship and within other sports. Dov was an FA registered agent, and a former top ten England men’s junior table tennis player and top 100 nationally-ranked men’s player.
Expertise
Career
Dov is more than 20 years qualified. He joined the firm in July 2020 from Greenwoods GRM and was previously a partner at Teacher Stern and Howard Kennedy.
Dov is listed in the 2020 edition of the Legal 500 as a ‘Leading Individual’ and is a ‘Ranked Lawyer’ in Chambers’ Guide to the Legal Profession.
Beyond law, Dov has a long involvement with sport, primarily table tennis and also having founded an FA affiliated amateur football club. For table tennis he has represented Brighton in the British League that achieved promotion to the premier division as well as the Wembley & Harrow League in the National Club Team Championships that won gold in 2006. He currently plays for Apollo in the top division of the Wembley & Harrow League, who were champions and cup winners in the last three years.
Dov was named Jewish UK sportsman of the year in 2004, and has represented Maccabi GB for table tennis at all levels, whether as player, manager or chair, including five Maccabiah Games (known as the Jewish Olympics, the second largest sporting event in the world) in Israel and seven European Maccabi Games, winning several medals along the way and being instrumental in the success of several international squads. He is influential in helping table tennis become one of the prominent sports for Maccabi in the UK and works with the umbrella Maccabi organisation worldwide. At the 2022 Maccabiah Games, Dov sat on the executive board of Maccabi World Union in his role as Chairman of the Court of Discipline and also represented the rest of the world team in winning three medals for table tennis.
Memberships
- Dov is the Honorary Secretary of the John Carpenter (the founder of the City of London School for Boys) Club and is a Freeman of the City of London.
- At the 2022 Maccabiah Games in Israel, Dov held the position as Chairman of the Court of Discipline.
- Dov is a former member of the Quoted Companies Alliance legal committee
Significant Experience
- Dov has been responsible for advising advisers and issuers on admissions to AIM, reverse takeovers, introductions and secondary placings;
- He also advises brokers and investors on fundraisings and other forms of investment for public and private companies;
- Dov regularly provides strategic legal advice to founders throughout their business lifecycle including the sale of their shares and exits in a variety of sectors;
- He advises ultra high net worth individuals and secured lenders on a number of investments in SMEs, and also growth capital for various corporates, both in the UK and overseas, whether in the form of equity or debt financing;
- Dov recently acted for the shareholders on the sale of their shares in a food business and the main sellers on the sale of shares in a digital agency business;
- He has worked with a global eyewear business on a loan from a supplier and its planned sale and/or investment into it;
- He also advises companies, UK and overseas, on acquisitions including a Tel-Aviv stock exchange listed company on its first UK acquisition;
- Dov worked with two recruitment companies on a company buyback of shares and related matters;
- Dov advised a Premier League manager in connection with the disposal of a significant property portfolio;
- He is advising a number of Premier League/Championship players, many of whom represent their country internationally and on the world stage, on a variety of matters including club transfers, commercial contracts, property investment and various private client and media related matters for them and their families;
- Dov is advising various football agents in connection with transfer-related matters;
- Dov advised a former Olympic athlete on challenging his non-selection to represent GB at the Commonwealth Games.
Quotes
Insights by Dov
articles
The sports industry, like many others, has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of our Investing in Success forum we hosted a sports roundtable event on 8...
Read Morearticles
An announcement regarding a breakaway European Super League (ESL) on Sunday (18 April) evening was quickly met with a backlash from governing bodies, governments and supporters. What would this mean...
Read Morearticles
Working alongside agents and financial advisors, sports lawyers look after their clients' welfare, allowing professional athletes to concentrate on what they do best. We look at why you need a...
Read MoreHOW CAN WE HELP?
To get in touch with one of our legal experts please fill in your details.
