Everton hire leading lawyer who took on Roman Abramovich as stunned Toffees prepare to appeal ten-point deduction

EVERTON have engaged the services of the barrister who took on Roman Abramovich to lead the appeal against their ten-point deduction.

Laurence Rabinowitz KC is seen as one of the country’s “leading silks” and will now head up the Toffees’ quest to reduce the sanction.

The Goodison outfit were left stunned by the sentence imposed by a three-man independent commission in November.

Everton accepted at their five-day hearing that they had breached the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules.

But the club argued they only exceeded the allowed £105million losses over three years by £9.7m – not the £19.5m agreed by the panel.

Everton can only appeal the sentence and not the verdict after their admissions.

And the Toffees are unable to bring new evidence.

But they have the right to argue the details of the commission’s findings.

Rabinowitz, 63, whose team will include initial commission representative and fellow King’s Counsel James Segan, boasts a wide portfolio.

But, according to his chambers at One Essex Court, he has not been involved in a high-profile sports case before.

FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES

He did act for former Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky in a failed £3billion damages claim against ex-Chelsea owner Abramovich.

Berezovsky was found dead at his Berkshire home a year later, in 2013.

Under Prem rules, the appeal must be heard before the end of the season and any confirmed or adjusted penalty would apply to this campaign.