Derains & Gharavi is one of the industry leaders in sports arbitration.

The firm’s co-founding partner Hamid Gharavi is committed to, and attends and/or organizes seminars as well as firm and client and charitable events around sport and speaks and publishes regularly in this field (e.g. Hamid Gharavi’s article titled “There must be another way” published in the sports special edition of BCDR International Review (Vol 9, Issue 1 (2022) and the Liber Amicorum in the honor of Yves Derains, Editions A. Pedone 2021).

The firm acts as counsel to players, athletes, clubs, leagues, agents, federations and States bodies/institutions in ad-hoc and institutional arbitrations and exceptionally on an advisory basis, in relation to a vast range of subjects including agency, employment agreements, sponsorship, tournament rights, broadcasting rights with emphasis on tennis and football.

The firm’s founding partners also have extensive experience as arbitrator in sports arbitrations that reinforces efficiency in counsel mandates.

Hamid Gharavi has sat in over 50 sports arbitrations including in the most high-profile disputes at CAS (For full list see the CV of Hamid Gharavi) but also in other institutional arbitrations (e.g., ICSID Case No. ARB/24/15). He was one of the 10 appointees to the CAS ad-hoc Division for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (see the CAS media release on his appointment) and has acted as President, Sole Arbitrator and co-arbitrator in landmark CAS arbitrations involving athletes, clubs, federations, and States in relation in relation to doping and State doping schemes, disciplinary sanctions, collective bans, match fixing, coaching, contractual violations, and agency fees in tennis, football and a large number of other sports. He has stepped down as of January 1, 2025 of the CAS list of arbitrators at CAS given the CAS prohibition on double hatting in order to put his extensive experience at the service exclusively of CAS counsel mandates in representation of athletes, clubs, federations, leagues, agents, and State bodies/entities.

Yves Derains has also extensive experience as counsel but also as arbitrator in sport-related arbitrations including in relation to sponsorships and broadcasting rights (For full list see the CV of Yves Derains). He was also, from 1990 to 2010, Permanent Member of the Contract Recognition Board (CRB) of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).