Expertise & Practice Areas

1. Sports Law & International Arbitration

• Arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
• Previously served as arbitrator with numerous international federations (ITF, IWF, World Athletics)
• Experience in contractual disputes (e.g., player transfers, employment contracts, agency agreements)
• Experience in regulatory, governance and disciplinary matters (e.g., anti-doping, ethics, eligibility)

Parties involved:

• Clubs, athletes, federations, agents, sports administrators

Selected arbitration and representative experience (full list of cases available upon request):

• Acted as sole arbitrator / chair / panel member in several doping-related matters (EN/FR) before the CAS (cf. CAS 2024/A/10821; TAS 2024/A/10396 & 10693)
• Acted as sole arbitrator / chair/ panel member in a wide range of labour law, transfer, agency, event organization matters in football (cf. CAS 2023/A/9889; CAS 2023/A/10017)
• Acted as a sole arbitrator / panel member in several disciplinary, eligibility and governance matters (EN/FR) before the CAS (cf. TAS 2024/A/10407; CAS 2023/A/10168)
• Counsel / co-counsel in CAS appeals involving contractual matters, disciplinary sanctions and anti-doping proceedings
• Co-counsel with global firms in high-value contractual and regulatory matters

2. Sports Contracts: Employment, Agency, Transfer, Broadcasting & Sponsorship

• Legal advice and representation across the full spectrum of sports-related contractual matters, including commercial rights and athlete-related agreements.

Parties involved:

• Sports federations, clubs, athletes, agents, sponsors, and media rights holders
• Law firms seeking specialized counsel in international sports contract law
• Stakeholders involved in CAS or domestic arbitration, employment disputes, or commercial litigation relating to sports contracts

Selected Experience

• Advised a company in media rights agreement with the IOC
• Reviewed complex sponsorship agreements for the hosting of football tournaments
• Advised football players and clubs on transfer agreements and negotiations
• Provided legal advice to sports organisations on labour law agreements under Swiss law

3. Recognition & Enforcement of Arbitral Awards and Judgments

• Legal assistance and strategic advice on enforcing arbitral awards and foreign judgments in Switzerland or abroad.
• Strategic support in multi-jurisdictional enforcement efforts involving sports awards
• Expert testimony on the enforceability of Swiss-seated awards under foreign legal systems

Parties involved:

• Award creditors or debtors in sports and commercial disputes
• Law firms handling transnational enforcement matters

Selected experience

• Represented clubs in enforcement proceedings of arbitral awards in Switzerland
• Acted as expert consultant in the enforcement of Swiss judgments in the U.S.

4. Swiss Private International Law & EU Law

• Advice and analysis on procedural and substantive issues under Swiss PILA and particularly in arbitration contexts.
• Jurisdictional strategy and conflict of laws
• Expert evidence before Swiss and foreign courts
• Deep knowledge of EU law (PhD thesis and LL.M. on EU law)

Parties involved:

• Law firms, multinational companies, and individual clients involved in cross-border legal matters seeking expert guidance on Swiss private international law and EU law.

Selected experience

• Provided legal advice on the service of legal documents under the Hague Service Convention
• Acted as expert consultant in Swiss Private International Law and Swiss procedural law in cross-border jurisdictional challenges in the UK

Despina Mavromati’s unique combination of arbitral, procedural, and advocacy skills, reinforced by her academic work and tribunal experience, allows her to deliver clear and high-quality legal input — whether she is serving as neutral, advocate, or expert.

She regularly works in partnership with top-tier international firms, contributing specialist procedural knowledge and legal clarity in high-stakes international disputes.

See Despina Mavromati's C.V.

Experience as an Arbitrator and Attorney-at-law

Ongoing Sports Arbitration Mandates

• Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) (2023 - Present): Arbitrator in contractual and disciplinary disputes. Experience as party-appointed, Panel Chair or Sole Arbitrator in numerous CAS procedures
• UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) (2023 – Present): Member (Appeals Chamber)

Previous Arbitral Appointments

• UEFA Appeals Body Member (2018 – 2023)
• Member of the Disciplinary Tribunal of World Athletics (formerly IAAF) (2018 – 2023)
• Arbitrator at the Independent Tribunal of the International Tennis Federation (2017 – 2023)
• Doping Hearing Panel Member of the International Powerlifting Federation (2017 – 2023)
• Sport Resolutions (UK) Panel of Arbitrators (2017 – 2023)
• Chair of the Ethics & Disciplinary Commission of the International Weightlifting Federation (2020-2021)

Experience as Attorney / Counsel

• Independent attorney specializing in international sports law and arbitration (2017 – Present)
• Counsel with Swiss law firms Valfor / BianchiSchwald (2022-2025)
• Counsel | Managing Counsel | CAS, Lausanne (2008 - 2017)

Academic / Teaching Experience

• Lecturer, University of Fribourg (2023- Present): Teaches ‘sports contracts’
• Lecturer, Swiss School of Business Management Geneva (2021- Present): Teaches ‘human rights in sports’
• Lecturer, University of Lausanne (2017 - 2022): Taught ‘sports arbitration’ and ‘sports contracts’
• Visiting Professor, University of Western Ontario (2017): Co-taught ‘sports law’ with Prof. Richard McLaren
• Lecturer, Academic Assistant at the University of Fribourg (2004 - 2007): Taught Private International Law & the Lugano Convention

Education

• Fletcher School, Tufts University (2015-2016): Visiting Scholar (sports governance and arbitration)
• University of Fribourg, Switzerland (2007): Dr. Iur. in Law – Ph.D. thesis on EU law (‘The Law of Payment Services in the EU’)
• University of Saarland, Germany (2002): Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
• University of Saarland, Germany (2001): Europa-Institut, LL.M. in EU Law
• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (1998): Lic. Iur. in Law

• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) 2017 - Fellowship (FCIArb)
• Harvard Law School (2016): Program on Negotiation – Semester training and Diploma in alternative dispute resolution and crisis management
• Center for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), London (2013) - Accredited Mediator

Board Positions, Memberships and Affiliations

• Founder and former Board Member, Women in Sports Law (WISLaw)
• Board of Directors, Sports Lawyers Association (SLA)
• Member, Swiss Association of Sports Lawyers (ASDS)
• Member, Association Suisse de l’Arbitrage (ASA)
• Member, Ordre des Avocats Vaudois (OAV)

Selected Published Books and Articles

Books

• The Code of the Court of Arbitration for Sport: Commentary, Cases and Materials (with Matthieu Reeb, 2015; 2nd ed. 2025)
• The Law of Payment Services in the European Union (Kluwer Law International, 2008)

Selected Articles / Publications

• The Appeal Procedure before the CAS: Key Insights and Practical Tips (ASA Bulletin 2023)
• Governance of International Sports Federations through the Lens of Global Administrative
• Law, Marquette Sports Law Review (2023)
• Procedural Issues in the Caster Semenya SFT Judgment, International Sports Law Blog (2020)
• Review of AC Milan v. UEFA Decision, LawInSport (2018)
• Applicability of Swiss Law in Doping Cases, Yearbook of Int. Sports Arbitration (2017)
• The Swiss Federal Tribunal and its impact on CAS arbitration, ABA Special Issue (2017)
• Mediation of sports-related disputes, Football Legal (2015)
• Autonomy and Good Governance in Light of the Case Law Rendered by the CAS, ISLR (2014)