Al Tamimi & Company

Al Tamimi & Company is the first Middle East Law firm to operate a dedicated Sports & Events Management practice and provide a comprehensive range of legal services throughout the Middle East region, covering all areas relevant to the sports industry.

Our practice comprises a team of experienced lawyers who work across a number of the firm’s legal disciplines. We provide specialised sports law advice to governing bodies, athletes, public agencies, sports rights holders, international federations and event management companies on all matters relevant to the sports industry.

Our professionals have been leading the development of Sports Law practice in the region. In addition to being relied on by a growing range of clients, we are active in pro bono cases and thought leadership in the sector, appearing frequently as key contributors at local, regional and international conferences and seminars, as well as in online, print, TV, radio media and publications.

Steven Bainbridge heads up the Sports & Events Management practice and is based in our Dubai office.  The practice has a regional focus operating a seamless and growing team of dedicated specialists working on sports related matters to provide a comprehensive and integrated service to our clients.

Our team has the necessary skills and experience to advise on the following:

• Brand Protection and Exploitation: merchandising and other licensing arrangements; merchandise distribution and sale arrangements; anti-ambush marketing and anti-counterfeiting strategies and enforcement; trademark advice and registration; copyright protection and exploitation.
  
  
• All aspects of Sport, Team, Player and Event Sponsorship: acting for rights holders, event managers, athletes and organisations who commit significant resources to this crucial aspect of marketing, including advising on regional advertising guidelines and restrictions.
  
  
• Broadcast Agreements: television, radio, mobile phone and online content production, distribution, management and exploitation, from the perspective of rights holders, broadcasters and broadcast partners.
  
  
• Sports Event and Venue Management: advising on all legal aspects of the execution and commercial optimisation of major events from ticketing, stadium hire and media relations through to health, safety, insurance and environmental issues; media access arrangements as well as all aspects of regulatory interface for mass public attendance events and advising on facility sustainability initiatives and developing profitability strategies to generate additional revenues, before and after main events.
  
  
• Stakeholder Integration: player contracts, relations with teams, sports clubs, player associations and governing bodies; disciplinary issues; doping; the relationship between players’ and team sponsors; players’ use of social media and other forms of other “new media” communications.
  
  
• Alternative Dispute Resolution: representing sporting bodies, players and other sports related clients before the national sports dispute resolution bodies including the Disciplinary and the Appeal Committees as well as the international sports dispute resolution bodies including FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).