Ellen joined Morgan Sports Law as a paralegal in September 2019 and qualified as an Associate in September 2023.
Specialising in equestrian matters, Ellen represents riders, trainers, horse owners, national federations, event organisers and other stakeholders in sports-related disputes.
Ellen has particular expertise in equine anti-doping matters, and also regularly acts for clients in a wide range of disciplinary and regulatory proceedings.
Her work typically involves proceedings before the FEI Tribunal or the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but she also has experience of proceedings before various national tribunals, including the US Equestrian Federation Hearing Committee, the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada and the US Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit.
Ellen speaks French, German and Spanish and holds a first-class master’s degree in foreign languages.
Equestrian:
- Defending riders and trainers in anti-doping proceedings, successfully having sanctions eliminated or substantially reduced in many cases
- Representing riders in atypical findings proceedings, leading to multiple cases being closed with no further consequences to the riders
- Obtaining provisional measures from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to remove the provisional suspensions of two riders prior to the Olympic Games
- Defending a racetrack worker in Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) disciplinary proceedings, successfully securing a significant reduction in the proposed sanction
- Representing officials in FEI disciplinary proceedings, resulting in reduced sanctions
- Acting for a stakeholder group in a breach of contract claim against the FEI
- Representing a national federation in an appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport against an FEI sanction for breach of event rules, resulting in a reduced sanction
- Defending riders in complex horse abuse proceedings initiated by the FEI
- Advising FEI athletes and officials on delicate safeguarding matters
- Drafting horse sale and purchase agreements (including high-value sport horses)
- Advising an equestrian event organiser on compliance with national and international sports rules
Other sports:
- Defending professional athletes in anti-doping proceedings, including securing a significant reduction in sanction for a top-tier footballer
- Obtaining compensation for a basketball player in a contractual dispute against his club before the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal
- Recovering substantial unpaid sums for a footballer in a contractual dispute against his club
- Representing a Premier League footballer in a negligence / defamation claim against WADA at the High Court, which resulted in substantial damages and a public apology from WADA
- Advising a triathlon event organiser on field-of-play sanctions and compliance with sports rules
- Acting for football clubs in arbitration proceedings against their national football federation