What do you need to become a Sport Lawyer?

People have been asking me lately how can they become a sport lawyer, so I have decided myself to write this post to shed some light on this question to those interested in becoming sport lawyers.

Sport Law is in fashion, it is a fact. Over the last years the presence of sport law has increased becoming a top discipline among Law students and young lawyers, this is why this post is addressed to them.

This question has taken me back to my college years, when I signed up in Escuela de Práctica Jurídica de la Universidad de Zaragoza. I was lucky to meet there Professor Carlos Carnicer Díez, currently the President of Consejo General de la Abogacía Española. In one of his classes he posed the following question: What are the qualities that you must have to be a good lawyer? We started to give our opinions about the features we thought a good lawyer should have: respect for the Law, the profession, the other party, partners, clients, honesty, and to possess a wide knowledge about Law, jurisprudence, etc. Having heard all this, he smiled and said: «To be a good person». Just like that, plain and simple.

Given my experience, if you want to become a lawyer specialized in Sport Law, first you need to be a lawyer. A soon-to-be lawyer should be trained in different disciplines such as civil, labor, company, administrative and criminal law. Besides, he must learn to deal with clients, attend trials, make claims and  allegations, etc. In short, you must represent your clients, because although they may not be Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi they are as important as them. Once you get this, you will be able to reinforce your experience with the special features of Sport.

In my opinion, this is one of the ways to become a sport lawyer, although quoting one of my masters Mr. José Ángel Guedea Adiego, «no matter which path you choose, the important thing is to do it.»

Javier Pérez Villa