Hogan Lovells Becomes BPA’s Official Legal Services Provider for Rio 2016

International law firm Hogan Lovells has reached a deal with the British Paralympic Association (BPA) to be their Official Legal Services provider through to the end of 2016.

The agreement formalises the long-standing relationship between the two organisations that has existed since before the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Throughout this period, including during the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Hogan Lovells has given pro-bono legal advice, secondments and volunteering to the BPA in a number of areas though London-based commercial partner Richard Welfare.

As the BPA’s Official Legal Services provider, Hogan Lovells will continue to supply legal support to the organisation across all areas as the BPA prepares to send teams to compete at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games and subsequently the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. 

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of the BPA, was pleased to confirm the news. He said: “The BPA has developed an incredibly positive relationship with Hogan Lovells over recent years, which has provided a significant level of support, particularly through their contributions in areas such as commercial contracts and intellectual property. I have no doubt that their skill, knowledge and expertise will continue to prove invaluable to the BPA over the coming years and as such I am delighted that we can now formally welcome them on board.”

Nicholas Cheffings, chair, Hogan Lovells, said:  “We are very strong supporters of the BPA and its mission to make the UK the leading nation in Paralympic sport and its vision, through sport, to inspire a better world for disabled people.   These are not small challenges.

“We have given the BPA a substantial commitment to providing advice to them between now and the end of 2016.  There will also be volunteering opportunities open to all members of our London office.  We are very proud of the work we have done.  We have a long-standing track record as a firm for promoting the rights of the disabled in all walks of life and for that to be recognised through our role as an official partner of the BPA is very rewarding.”

The firm joins other BPA official partners including BP, BT, Deloitte, EDF Energy, Mondelēz International, Nissan, Sainsbury’s and the lottery distributor UK Sport.