Joëlle Monlouis advises and represents sports organisations, companies, executives and athletes in disputes before national courts, international sports bodies and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
She also acts as an international arbitrator, in appointments separate from her work as counsel.
Litigation strategy informed by in-depth knowledge of the sports ecosystem
A sports dispute may simultaneously involve federation rules, contractual provisions and national law. Its implications may affect a competition, an organisation’s governance, its commercial commitments or an athlete’s career.
The firm analyses the applicable rules, the jurisdiction of the bodies concerned and the available remedies to define the procedural strategy. This assessment incorporates the institutional and commercial issues and the time constraints specific to sport.
It advises clients from the pre-litigation stage and considers negotiated settlements where these serve their interests.
Recognised experience representing clients before international sports bodies
Joëlle Monlouis acts in contractual, institutional, electoral, regulatory and disciplinary disputes before the competent bodies of national and international federations.
Her work covers case assessment, preparation of written submissions and evidence, advocacy at hearings and appeals. She pays particular attention to measures that may immediately affect an athlete’s rights or an organisation’s operations.
The firm also represents its clients before the competent national courts.
Recognised experience in international sports arbitration
Joëlle Monlouis’s practice encompasses representation of parties in arbitral proceedings and appointments as an arbitrator.
As counsel, she advises and represents her clients before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in proceedings conducted in French or English. Her work includes institutional and contractual disputes, disciplinary appeals and anti-doping cases.
She defines the strategy, prepares written submissions and hearings, and coordinates other lawyers and experts where complementary expertise is required. In anti-doping cases, legal analysis is combined with the assessment of the scientific evidence necessary for the defence.
As an arbitrator, she accepts international appointments, notably through Sport Resolutions and the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal. These include disciplinary and anti-doping matters.
This dual experience gives her a valuable all-round perspective on international sports disputes.
She combines the development of a defence strategy with experience of assessing evidence, conducting hearings and drafting arbitral decisions.
For the firm’s clients, this complementary experience informs a more precise assessment of a case’s strengths and weaknesses, better anticipation of the questions likely to determine its outcome, and rigorous preparation of submissions and hearings.
These two roles are performed in separate matters and before different bodies, in accordance with the requirements specific to each role, including independence, impartiality, confidentiality and conflicts of interest.