Specialist Lawyer for Sports Law
Legal advice for
associations, clubs, athletes, agencies & investors
Marc Patrick Schneider, MBA (Wales)
Welcome to the website
(Specialist Lawyer for Sports Law).
Lawyer & Specialist Lawyer for Sports Law Marc Patrick Schneider, MBA (MPS)
offers (inter)national (Olympic) sports federations, sports clubs, athletes, and all those who represent or finance them in the organization, practice, and marketing of sport, personal and always solution-oriented legal and strategic advice based on extensive experience.
What is sports law and why MPS?
Sports law is a dynamic and demanding interdisciplinary field that, on the one hand, combines (inter)national (state) law with the autonomously established rules (e.g., statutes) and competition regulations (e.g., rules of play or participation rules) created by sports federations and clubs, and on the other hand, as "industry law," covers a wide range of sport-specific interfaces. For example, Section 14q of the German Specialist Lawyer Regulations (FAO) for sports law highlights, in addition to the law of (inter)national sports federations, club and sports-related corporate law, as well as sports contract law and sports employment law. Media and press law, as well as the areas of sponsorship, liability, doping, and (inter)national sports and arbitration jurisdiction are also mentioned.
Thesis: Only those who truly understand sport, its special structures and players, will achieve optimal results as sports lawyers and consultants.
Fact: For me, sport in all its (legal) facets is not just a profession and area of interest, but a calling and has been my daily work as a sports lawyer and consultant for over 15 years.
The highest quality and up-to-dateness in sports law and strategic consulting are guaranteed at all times through my numerous and regular specialist publications, teaching assignments, and activities as a sports official, as well as through participation in the mandatory annual continuing education courses required to maintain the title "Specialist Lawyer for Sports Law." This is further documented by awards such as the continuous recommendation as a "TOP Lawyer for Sports Law" ( Handelsblatt/WiWo) since 2022; specifically, in 2023, ranking second among the "Legal All Stars" in sports law .
However, what is decisive is not the achievements "on paper", but the constant application of knowledge and the use of all experience for the benefit of clients in daily practice.
In order to provide targeted, effective and consistently high-quality advice at all times, and to best utilize my qualifications and experience for the benefit of my clients, I have specialized over the years in three areas of expertise in sports law: "Association Law & Federation Law", "Structuring & Financing" and "Integrity Violations & Arbitration".
Association law & Federation law
For many years, I have provided comprehensive legal support to clubs and (Olympic) sports federations from a wide variety of sports, ranging from day-to-day operations and general legal issues to sports antitrust disputes (including those concerning nominations or access to sporting competitions) and complex structural changes. As a full-time board member of the German Volleyball Federation and honorary president of a sports club, I am not merely a lawyer and external consultant, but actively involved in the process.
If an out-of-court solution cannot be found in a particular case, I will of course also represent the interests of my clients (whether association, club or athlete) in disputes before state courts as well as association and arbitration tribunals.
Although my focus is on advising professional sports, it has become a personal mission to pass on my know-how specifically to amateur sports and its participants.
Special expertise and references (in the areas of) : Founding of associations as well as the creation and amendment of statutes and regulations ("100+", e.g. in football, equestrian sports, volleyball, wrestling), organization and management of general meetings (e.g. in professional football as well as in Olympic sports federations), disputes between bodies as well as with members and sports participants (e.g. in the case of club expulsion, minority requests or nominations), liability at sporting events, advice in the area of tension between Olympic sports federation vs. "private third-party organizer" (e.g. in wrestling and American football) .
Structuring & Financing
The structural and financial setup of an association, club, or "private organizer" that organizes sports and hosts competitions should be regularly reviewed and, if necessary, tailored to specific needs!
Sports organized by sports federations, clubs, and their affiliated limited companies without a tailored and financially viable structure cannot be sustainably successful. This is demonstrated by daily practice in professional sports, which are often dependent on grants, subsidies, and a steady influx of capital from "club-related third parties" (e.g., sponsors, partners, or patrons), but increasingly also in so-called performance-oriented amateur sports.
The internal order and basic structure (e.g., regarding the statutes, distribution of responsibilities between bodies, contract design for full-time and volunteer staff, etc.) should therefore be precisely tailored to the specific sport being practiced and, on the other hand, allow for the most flexible and effective integration of potential capital providers (e.g., investors or grant providers) to finance the sports organization.
Special expertise and references (in the areas of) : Founding and structuring of sports leagues (including the creation of sports rules and contracts; e.g., in American football), revitalization of "dormant clubs" (e.g., in equestrian sports and polo), restructuring and modernization of associations and clubs, support for transformation measures (e.g., spin-off, merger, or change of legal form), structuring and documentation of the issuance of sport-specific and -compatible financing instruments (e.g., fan bonds, profit participation rights and profit participation certificates, silent partnerships, or crowdinvesting; e.g., in football).
Integrity violations & arbitration
In cases of integrity violations (e.g., through doping,
Effective legal advice and successful representation in contentious (arbitration) proceedings (e.g., in cases of competitive manipulation, corruption, interpersonal violence, or disregard for vital athletes' rights) can only be provided by someone who understands the legal and emotional complexity of the case as well as the individual circumstances.
The rights of those involved are understood.
My special expertise and experience lie not only in the areas of "Association Law & Club Law" and "Structuring & Financing" in designing resilient, i.e., above all legally sound and conflict-proof, sets of rules from the perspective of an (Olympic) sports association or club, but also in applying existing legal rules (e.g., of a sports federation) in cases of conflict and – depending on the mandate – successfully defending or challenging them.
For over a decade, representing clients in state court proceedings (particularly in civil and antitrust disputes) has been one of my core activities (especially in equestrian sports and football). However, for several years now, I have also focused on sports and association tribunal proceedings and the often subsequent arbitration proceedings – both as counsel and as an arbitrator. The expertise I have gained over the years in this field and as an association representative allows me to leverage my extensive network and my unique experience in developing the "Center for Arbitration and Law in Sport (ZSRS)" to the benefit of my clients.
Special expertise and references (in the areas of) : Creation and revision of anti-doping, safe sport and good governance codes as well as guidelines for the prevention of competition manipulation for (Olympic) sports federations, representation of athletes (including Olympic champions) in doping proceedings (e.g. football, basketball, American football and winter sports), representation of athletes and clubs in disciplinary proceedings (e.g. football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, wrestling), representation of athletes, federations as well as agencies and partners in arbitration proceedings (e.g. football and handball), proceedings as member and chairman of disciplinary bodies (e.g. American football and fitness competition), proceedings as referee (e.g. handball, American football).