The firm advises amateur and professional clubs and their executives on strategic decisions, the development of their activities and the protection of their interests.
Its practice combines substantial business law experience with in-depth knowledge of sports regulations and institutions, in France and internationally.
Extensive experience in club structuring and transformation
The firm advises clubs on changes to their legal structure, governance and ownership. It assists with amendments to constitutional documents, reorganisations and restructuring, taking account of management objectives and the requirements of the sport concerned.
Its work also includes legal and employment due diligence in support of transactions or organisational changes.
In-depth understanding of regulatory frameworks and integrity issues
A club operates within a framework of national and international rules governing its activities and participation in competitions.
The firm assists executives with sports regulations, relations with the relevant bodies, and ethics and compliance matters. Its work includes preventing conflicts of interest, safeguarding competition integrity and addressing anti-doping obligations.
Established experience in contracts and commercial development
The firm assists with the negotiation, drafting and management of sponsorship, partnership and naming rights agreements, as well as philanthropic support arrangements.
Its business law experience enables it to align a club’s commercial objectives with the protection of its rights and management of its commitments. It also advises on the legal structuring of public and private funding and the negotiation of related agreements.
Extensive experience of professional relationships within clubs
The firm advises clubs on their relationships with athletes, coaches, employees and volunteers.
It assists with the negotiation and performance of contracts, the allocation of responsibilities and the management of sensitive situations, including termination of the relationship. This work takes account of sports-specific rules and, where relevant, the international dimension of the matter.
Experienced representation before courts and sports bodies
The firm advises and represents clubs in contractual, corporate, employment, regulatory and disciplinary disputes.
Joëlle Monlouis leads each matter, from the pre-litigation stage to representation before the competent courts, sports bodies and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Where the issues require it, she brings together and coordinates complementary expertise from her international network.
Explore the firm’s litigation and arbitration practice