Legal Coach to McKenzie Friends & Non-Legal representatives, working to win their cases with the Lawpreneur® framework I International Accredited Mediator I Barrister-Lawyer I Direct Access I Public Speaker I Podcaster
This post is coming to you from Kingsclere! Well actually 15 mins away as i'm passing through on my way to represent someone at court locally! On a recent flight back from Florida I was drawn to the documentary, Horsepower, featuring jockey, Oisin Murphy and his trainer, Andrew Balding from Kingsclere stables. You may recall the media coverage surrounding an incident back in 2020 where Oisin Murphy received a ban for contamination, having been in contact with a female socially, who happened to be an occasional user of cocaine, meaning a risk to his career. The effect of what appeared to be a single incident was not only a risk to his brand image and his career but of course would have also potentially had an effect on the personal lives of his family, friends and his trainer too. I recalled the situation at the time and I remember sending a message remarking how well he appeared to handle the matter in the public eye. My clients problems are usually this: facing an official complaint, risk to livelihood, brand reputation, personal reputation, damage to health. The list could go on! In Oisin’s case I understand that France Galop, the French governing body of racing accepted his explanation for the contamination and he returned from the ban with a successful season! I have spoken in the past to trainers in horse racing about the British Horse Racing Authority and contamination. When an athlete is banned both the media and the public tend to approach the case in a very black and white way. What is often missing from the coverage is what goes on behind the scenes. Often trust is lost or loyalties are questioned and a number of relationships are potentially fractured or completely damaged. This is again where mediation could play an important role. In instances such as this it is necessary to look at the individual, team or business' values to determine if they are aligned to avoid a repeat incident or to successfully continue the relationship whether that be personally or professionally. This is something that my team at Lawpreneur® has at the forefront of its mind and this is embedded in our Lawpreneur® framework. #oisinmurphy #kingsclereparkhousestables
