All of the major players in the sports industry around the world—the overarching leagues, the teams and clubs, and professional athletes—must abide by employment and workplace relations laws just like all other commercial enterprises. However, due to accelerating market complexity and regulations, it is common to encounter sporting-specific rules that do not fit neatly within standard labor laws. Legal support from lawyers who have real, proven experience in the commercial, cultural, political, and regulatory aspects of the sporting industry is a necessity.
Our sports clients not only rely on us to help with their standard day-to-day employment issues; we also serve as a trusted advisor for tailored solutions unique to the sporting industry. We have experience helping clients with high-stakes or first-of-their-kind matters, such as assisting with transgender participation policies, addressing gender equity issues in payment, and maneuvering the complications COVID-19 has created for the sports industry and its workforce across the globe. We also have experience drafting player and umpire contracts, negotiating collective agreements, and advising on grievance issues.
The seasonal nature of sports leads to complicated labor and employment issues relating to the classification of workers as casual employees, contractors, or volunteers. Our lawyers are adept at handling these complex contracts and labor considerations. We help teams and players when fines and penalties are imposed, and are poised to assist with antitrust exemptions relating to player unions.
Our team members are known as leading practitioners in this space, particularly in the Australian market. As an example of our commitment to client service, we operate a hotline service for a national sporting organization in Australia, which all clubs use to proactively seek out employment and safety advice to manage their employment law issues. This ensures a consistent industry approach for the code. Our Labor, Employment, and Workplace Safety team is dedicated to providing practical solutions to address the unique legal needs of our clients in the sports space.
In a bid to further increase the pressure on Russia, the Council of the European Union has adopted additional measures which have been introduced in its 16th sanctions package.
The Hon. Jim Chalmers MP, Federal Treasurer and the Hon. Clare O'Neil MP, Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness issued a joint media release on 16 February 2025 titled "Albanese Government clamping down on foreign purchase of established homes and land banking".
Qatar has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. To meet the demands of its rapid economic growth and to diversify away from the hydrocarbons industry, international investors are increasingly seeking to establish a presence in Qatar.
On 2 April 2025, President Trump announced a series of “reciprocal” tariffs on US imports from all countries. The tariffs apply at different rates by country, starting at a baseline of 10% and reaching as high as 50%.
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