LEGAL ADVICE ON SPORTSLAW MATTERS
Advising on sport law matters requires a specialized knowledge of many complex rules and laws, where the sources of law include a mix of national legislation, international conventions, EU-law and private rules and jurisprudence from international sports federations. One of the biggest issues in international sports law over the last 25 years has in fact been to define an acceptable scope of “Lex Sportiva”, where sports-related circumstances could arguably justify a specific sports-rule or decision, which may not otherwise be permitted outside of sports.
The jurisprudence over this period of time has dealt with many difficult issues, when a sports rule collides with regular national or EU legislation. Can for example a mandatory license system to participate in a sport, or the collective selling of sports rights be justified due to “Lex Sportiva”? The answers are legally tricky and require a command of the rules across a range of legal sources.
The field of sports law has neither become easier over the last 10-15 years, as the sports world itself has become truly global and popular sports now has a live audience in real time worldwide through television or streaming via the internet. That trend has increased the demand for international rules across national borders.
Especially, the Sport Article in the Lisbon Treaty has paved the way for an active and decisive EU sports policy, and especially the Treaty’s rules on competition law and free movement of labor have made the application of EU-law a cornerstone in modern sports law. In addition, the jurisprudence from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has over the years played a more and more significant factor within the decision-making of doping law and football matters.
Due to my vast experience over the last 25 years in sports law as a general practitioner, an arbitrator and a scholar, I am confident that I may be able to advise and assist in any complex legal sports matter.