It's made with big money, strong people, and it goes fast... very fast! Anyone who pays interest in sports or simply watches the news has heard of it: Formula 1 has a fascinating, and quite devastating, universe behind the glitter of podiums and engines. And lawyer Chris Felton (LawNet UK) is active right in the middle of it.
The Caterham scandal has been the focus of media attention since late 2014, and no other than Chris Felton is in charge of defending the case. For those who have not heard about it, Formula 1 team Caterham has encountered many financial difficulties this season, leading to the purportedly unfair sacking of its workforce. This is where Chris entered the game: 'Caterham was bought by a big group around July from prominent British businessman Tony Fernandez', explains Chris. 'But because Formula 1 is an extremely expensive business, they are now trying to sell it again. They sacked around 40 people with blatant disregard of their rights and we are representing them in court'.
Chris is no rookie in the world of Formula 1. A lawyer for more than twenty years, he first worked on a racing-related case in the early 2000s: legendary team McLaren was sueing an engineer who, they claimed, had given confidential information to perennial rival Renault. 'We won because we proved that the information he handed over was nothing big', said Chris. 'They were mere manuals, nothing that could have changed the course of the competition. The case was argued at the World Motorsport Council, which is a regulating body internal to Formula 1'.
In the Caterham case, Chris works with the Employment tribunal. 'To be honest we are confident in the case. Staff were sacked without consultation, breaching all of their rights; it's a very clear cut claim against the company. The issue is less about our sucess than it is about how much money we can get as compensation for the lawyers. Caterham has been put under administration by the bank and we want to see how much money they can find for the staff'. The case could go as high as several million pounds.
Chris says he enjoys working on Formula 1 related cases because, true-to-form, they go very fast. 'Everything happens very quickly in a niche community like this. Engineers tend to be a small pool of very specialised people, like a family. I like how fast it goes; it's challenging. Clients are very well educated and organised. There is a lot of pressure but things also resolve themselves quite quickly, nothing hangs around very much'.
When asked for advice on how one might work on racing-related cases, Chris says 'learn about the sports, about the politics behind it, and especially the regulations of FIA, which is the world organisation that regulates Formula 1. Be well organised too'. And obviously, fasten your seat belt...
Last month we told you the story of another lawyer involved in sports: Philippe Levy, specialised in Equestrian Law. He, like Chris, said it was important to know the regulations specific to this sport, and mentioned the existence of ad hoc jurisdictions. You can read this story again here: www.eurojuris.net/en/node/42944
