Manchester City were recently found guilty of breaching Premier League's financial rules over a nine-year period, but the club have appealed and recruited the services of a courtroom powerhouse
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 7: A general view of the Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City, in Manchester, United Kingdom, on October 7, 2026. The Premier League has confirmed that Manchester City has been found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of its financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. (Photo by Loannis Alexopoulos/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Manchester City are at war with the Premier League(Image: Loannis Alexopoulos/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Manchester City have hired another of the UK's top lawyers in their battle with the Premier League. Mark Howard KC is advising the club, who've been found guilty of 114 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules from 2009 to 2018.
City were charged in February 2023 before a 42-day hearing took place the following year. The outcome of that hearing was finally confirmed last month and City subsequently lodged an appeal, as they continue to deny the charges and state that they have a 'body of irrefutable evidence' which proves their innocence.
No time frame has been put on how long the appeal process will take, with City fighting tooth and nail. Howard is now an advisor for the club, according to magazine The Lawyer.
But who is he? And why do City want his services?
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Known in law circles as a 'super silk' - a term for a King's Counsel (KC) - Howard the joint head of Brick Court Chambers, a set of barristers' chambers based in central London. Their website describes him as having 'very wide experience of commercial and 'City' litigation, along with banking, professional negligence, fraud, energy and insurance and reinsurance'.
"His name strikes fear into the heart of the opposition," reads one quote. Howard's past clients include former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (2008) and musician Elton John (2002).
He became a barrister in 1980 before being appointed a KC 16 years later. In an interview with The Times last year, Howard said that 'cross-examining witnesses and undermining their evidence' was the best part of his job.
In 2023, Howard received a record-breaking £9million brief fee for representing the Federal Republic of Nigeria against Process & Industrial Developments. It remains the highest known brief fee - the sum paid to a barrister for their pre-trial preparation and attendance for the first day - in history. Howard helped Nigeria successfully avoid paying a $11billion (£9.3m) damages bill.
Mark Howard profile
Mark Howard's name 'strikes fear into the opposition'(Image: Brickcourt)
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Another of Howard's recent successes came when he acted on behalf of AerCap, the world's largest commercial aircraft owner, in 2025. The case centred on an insurance dispute over aircraft stranded in Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine.
It was ruled in the High Court that contingent war risk insurers were liable to compensate AerCap for more than $1bn (£844m). The sum went down as one of the biggest financial awards by a UK court for an insurance dispute.
City hope that Howard's expertise will aid their fight against the Premier League. He isn't the only KC to have worked with the club since the charges were brought against them.
Leading City's line-up of lawyers was David Pannick, who has a reputation for representing the rich and powerful. His previous clients include Queen Elizabeth II, Boris Johnson and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Joining Pannick was Paul Harris, who led City's successful appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport following UEFA's attempt to ban the club from the Champions League in 2020. Finally, Philip Marshall - a specialist in complex commercial disputes and commercial fraud - was involved.