Whether you want to be a sport lawyer, or think you might need one, you’ll want to find out all there is to know about the role. It’s an exciting and varied job but it may be quite different to how you imagine the role. Here’s everything you need to know about sport lawyers.
No Two Days Are The Same For Sport Lawyers…
It is easy to imagine that sport lawyers spend their time advising high profile athletes and negotiating contracts. Whilst that is certainly part of the role, there is far more to it. There are a vast amount of tasks that sport lawyers can carry out, and these might include:
- Advising on settlement agreement negotiations and terminations of professional player contracts in a variety of sports
- Advising on large scale construction projects such as stadium developments, training ground redevelopments and infrastructure legal issues
- Advising on international law, particularly regarding commercial, employment law and regulatory sports law issues
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Medical negligence, sports injury compensation claims and incapacity terminations.
- Sponsorship agreements and licences
- Advising sports professionals on intellectual property protection, image rights and intellectual property disputes.
Sport lawyers may also provide other services for their professional sports clients, such as family law (divorce and prenuptial agreements), wealth advice, intellectual property protection and debt recovery.
In fact, a sports lawyer may well need to dip into most areas of law at some point during their career to help and advise their clients. Whilst some parts of law are unique to sport (for example, disciplinary procedures and anti-doping codes), professional athletes and clubs need a vast array of legal advice.
Providing Advice For A Vast Array Of Sporting Stars
You may imagine (or hope!) that most of a sport lawyer’s time is taken up with football, and while footballers and their clubs encounter a large amount of circumstances which may require legal advice (such as contracts, sponsorship and more), any professional athlete will have need for a sport lawyer. From fitness instructors to runners to Olympians, there are a large number of people who can benefit from the experience that a sport lawyer has.
Of course, a sport lawyer’s clients won’t just be athletes – they will also include international federations, national governing bodies, public agencies, event organisers, broadcasters, sports equipment manufacturers and more.
Is In-Depth Knowledge Of Sports Rules Required?
A passion for and knowledge of sports is, naturally, beneficial for sports lawyers. However, this comes second to knowledge of law. The quality of a sports lawyer’s advice is what they are judged on, and this is where they provide value to their clients.
Finding A Sports Lawyer
At Beeston Shenton, our sports law team have the knowledge, contacts and expertise to help with any sports law issue. We pride ourselves on our long-term relationships with our clients, with our priority being to meet your needs. Whatever your issue, we are here to help – simply get in touch today.
