Hill Dickinson has helped Wayne Rooney to a court victory in the footballer's dispute with his former agents over commission payments.

Rooney signed an eight-year image rights agreement with Proactive Sports Management in 2003 when he was just 17 that entitled the agency to 20% of all of his sponsorship contracts.

He split from the company in 2008, after which he was represented solely by former Proactive employee Paul Stretford, leading the agency to claim £8.1m in unpaid commission, a sum which was later revised to £4.5m.

Hill Dickinson litigation head Geraldine Ryan and Paul Chaisty QC and Mark Harper of Kings Chambers fought for the termination of the contract on the basis that Rooney's parents were not commercially informed at the time of the agreement.

Proactive received £1.9m from Rooney in commission between 2003 and 2008.

In the conclusion of the trial, Judge Hegarty said that the agreement imposed "very substantial restraints upon Mr Rooney's freedom to exploit his earning ability over a very long period of time on terms which were not commonplace in the market and which were not the outcome of commercial negotiation between equals".

Judge Hegarty ordered Coleen Rooney's company, Speed 9849, to pay Proactive £90,475.25 for work conducted on her behalf up to October 2008.

Ryan said: "We are delighted with the outcome and that the judge has accepted our restraint of trade argument.

"Proactive has pursued Wayne aggressively for overinflated sums when it should have realised that the agreement was unenforceable due to its length, its terms and the fact that Wayne and his parents were not properly advised at the time."

McCormicks Solicitors acted for Proactive with a team led by corporate associate James Martin, alongside Ian Mill QC and Tom Weisselberg of Blackstone Chambers.

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