Pauline Mbanza is an international sports lawyer with a distinguished career in the sports law field, specializing in football. She began her illustrious career at MMAKS Advocates, where she specifically worked on intellectual property matters. During this time, her interest and passion for specializing in sports law — a course she took during her undergraduate studies — continued to grow.

Driven by this interest, Pauline joined Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL), one of Nigeria’s prestigious law firms known for its strength in sports law. At OAL, she worked closely with the Sports, Entertainment, and Technology team, handling tasks that cut across intellectual property and sports law. This role allowed her to further hone her expertise and deepen her involvement in the legal side of sports.

After her tenure at OAL, Pauline moved on to Real Madrid FC, one of the most prestigious football clubs in the world. During her time there, she worked under the head of the club’s legal department, where she dealt with legal matters related to the club’s operations, contracts, and compliance with international sports regulations. This invaluable experience provided her with deep insights into the complexities and nuances of sports law at the highest level.

Following her successful stint at Real Madrid, Pauline joined the Sports and Justice Law Firm, an Egyptian law firm, where she continued to excel in sports law practice. At this firm, she handled a range of cases involving athletes, sports organizations, and other stakeholders in various legal matters. Her contributions were particularly noteworthy, resulting in numerous successes and further establishing her reputation in the sports law community.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field, Pauline won the prestigious 14Sports Law Knockout Award for Women in Sports. She also worked at 14Sports Law, where she made significant contributions to sports law discourse and practice. Pauline remains actively involved in advancing the field of sports law and is a strong advocate for the rights of athletes and sports organizations.

In addition to her professional work, Pauline is a keen writer with a substantial following on her LinkedIn newsletter (European Football and Banter), where she regularly dissects various football-related matters. She also guides football agents in obtaining their licenses and provides legal advice where needed.

Pauline’s vision for the future includes continuing to advance the field of sports law, advocating for fairness and integrity in sports, and empowering the next generation of legal professionals. She is committed to making a positive impact on the sports industry and ensuring that athletes and organizations receive the highest standard of legal representation

Rokaya is an Associate in the Sports Law department, bringing a solid background in arbitration and dispute resolution. This expertise has been cultivated through extensive participation in numerous national and international moot court competitions, including the prestigious Willem C. Vis Moot, FDI Moot, SAM, and ICC Moot, providing her with invaluable practical experience in simulated arbitration proceedings.

Rokaya has worked on a wide range of arbitration cases, gaining exposure to diverse legal issues and procedural aspects of both domestic and international arbitration.

Her experience extends to various areas within sports law, including disputes related to player contracts, sponsorship agreements, disciplinary matters, and regulatory compliance.

She has contributed to cases before arbitral tribunals and sport's governing bodies, developing a keen understanding of the specific rules and regulations governing sports disputes.

Ryan is an attorney at Global Sports Advocates. brings his experience as a former federal prosecutor and legal counsel to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and his work on landmark sports legislation. His background gives him unique insight into the struggles faced by professional, collegiate, and Olympic athletes, as well as coaches, teams, executives, and other sports stakeholders.

A graduate of Harvard Law School and Duke University, Ryan possesses a deep understanding of both criminal and civil litigation strategies.  He has tried cases to juries in state and federal courts around the country, including New York, Colorado, Minnesota, and the District of Columbia. Before joining Global Sports Advocates, Ryan served as a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, where he prosecuted international violent crimes and human rights offenses.  His legal career began at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, where he led grand jury investigations and tried numerous cases.  These experiences taught him how to examine witness testimony critically—a crucial skill when challenging evidence in athlete eligibility or anti-doping hearings.

Ryan's time as Senior Legal Counsel for the U.S. Center for SafeSport placed him at the heart of athlete eligibility disputes when they mattered most. He secured the dismissal of a lawsuit by a suspended athlete seeking Olympic team placement just weeks before the Tokyo Games—preserving the integrity of team selection while demonstrating his ability to win high-stakes eligibility disputes.

During his tenure at SafeSport, Ryan provided strategic counsel to senior leadership and the board of directors while representing the organization in arbitration proceedings. This insider’s view gives him unmatched insight into how decisions are made in sports governing bodies, which he now brings to practice with Global Sports Advocates.

Ryan also played a key role in handling congressional investigations and drafting sections of the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020—legislation that fundamentally reshaped athlete rights in U.S Olympic sports. His contributions to this watershed law demonstrate his commitment to fair treatment for athletes at all levels.

He is admitted to practice law in New York, Colorado, and the District of Columbia. 

Simon Carroll is a partner and solicitor-advocate in the dispute resolution groupat BP Collins Solicitors.

Specialisms

An experienced litigator and solicitor-advocate, Simon specialises in cross-border commercial litigation & arbitration, insolvency & company disputes, sports law, and public law. He also has expertise in construction disputes; regulatory disputes, often acting for professionals & directors; and reputational risk.

With significant experience acting for a range of household names, Simon provides practical and commercially focused advice.

Experience

Simon has conducted litigation in most civil divisions of the English High Court; in the Court of Appeal & the Supreme Court; and has gained significant experience in domestic, international, and industry-specific arbitrations. He deals with disputes across all commercial sectors and has particular experience in environmental energy, construction/insurance, technology, pharmaceuticals, and commercial sports and media.

Prior to joining B P Collins LLP, Simon was in-house counsel for a global FTSE 30 ‘fast moving consumer goods’ company, focusing on commercial and regulatory disputes. Simon is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies. He was appointed to the list of arbitrators for CIArb’s Business Arbitration Scheme (BAS) and the ICC UK Arbitrator directory in 2024 and has received several (confidential) appointments as sole arbitrator.