Dev Kumar Parmar

Dev Kumar Parmar is the Principal Director of Parmars and, as an experienced sports lawyer, is regularly instructed on matters before FIFA and CAS. Dev has advised Premier League footballers and coaches and having been an FA-registered intermediary previously, has been involved in dozens of player transfers and registrations both within, and outside of England. In addition, Dev is the Director of Legal and Governance at the British Volleyball Federation and is the Academic Director of the world-renowned Global Master in International Sports Law with ISDE. Prior to his involvement in sports, Dev was Called to the Bar (England and Wales) and was experienced in criminal defence. The vast experience that Dev has gained so far in his stellar career makes him a particularly knowledgeable and effective professional mentor. 

1. Please could you tell us about your background – how did you start working in the sports industry? 
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Those that know me know it’s no secret that sport has always been a big part of my life, ever since I was a young child. I always knew that I wanted to combine sport and the law. I just never knew how, as back then, there were limited resources online, and there was little by way of formal education in the area. Several instances all converged and led me onto the path that I follow today. First, whilst still working in criminal law, I worked with a player who at the time, in addition to the ongoing situation he had, needed some advice in relation to a rather poorly drafted agency agreement that he had in place. It was a pro-bono engagement, and I was able to support him in getting the contract terminated. Much to my surprise at the time, this got me connected to several other players that had the same concerns. At the same time, I was consistently making contact with football clubs and stakeholders in the areas wherever I happened to be living (as I was moving fairly regularly), building relationships and engaging myself with people working in football, from grassroots through to the elite game. I think the combination of my modest success with that one client, as well as my presence in and around the football circuit enabled me to begin gaining credibility, and attracting more work. After a couple of years of combining work within football, and my ‘regular’ role, I managed to build enough of a client base for me to take a gamble and try to go full time in sports. I subsequently decided to supplement this by studying (again) and undertook the Master, which I now direct. So it wasn’t just one instance, or moment, that led me here, but a collection of events that were borne out of my lifelong desire, and daily perseverance in being able to achieve my goal, despite the fact that from the outset, I may not quite have understood how my goal would actually present itself.

2. How was your first experience representing a client at CAS? 

It was nice. I was instructed as special counsel at quite a late stage, so the chaos that ensued was something I was already quite used to from criminal law. Furthermore, the opportunity to advocate in front of a tribunal was playing to my strong points, so being able to make submissions in front of a panel, in relation to a sporting matter which is my area of passion, was actually something that I relished. The case was a challenging one, and we knew that there was a limited chance of success. This particular scenario further whet my appetite, driving me to try and achieve the unexpected. We weren’t successful in the case, but that experience was crucial for me in the lead up to my next matter at CAS, and we are fortunate that we are now instructed to manage matters at CAS on a frequent basis.  

3. How do you find running Parmars Sports? How have you managed to balance this, and your other roles, with your work as a lawyer? 

I enjoy the challenge as whilst I am managing the practice and engaging in constant business development, I have a direct handle on all of the cases that come to our offices; right from advisory work through to representing at tribunal. Of course, I have full trust in all of the guys that I work alongside, and I have been delighted with how they have all been developing. We have a system at the company that allocates matters to each person in a fair and equal manner so all of them are busy, but I am the senior lawyer out of all, so the overall conduct and responsibility is still mine to oversee all activity. I was reluctant for a long while to have people working alongside myself, but after many ‘persuasive’ conversations with my missus, I decided to take a plunge. I do not regret the decision at all, and my guys who work closely with me, Sergio, Luis and Manuel are all stars in the making.

4. What has been the most interesting (sports-related) case you have worked on?

We have had several, and we have been fortunate to receive instructions on a few high profile matters over the past years; some of which many of your readers (and your good self) will have heard of. By the same token, I am sorry to disappoint but I won’t speak about individual clients or mention names! What I can say is we had a really intriguing matter involving a high-profile football player, a worldwide household name, when we were instructed to negotiate a temporary release from his contract for a special fixture. The club that held his registration finally gave in, after a significant time and pressure, but not until we negotiated numerous detailed protection clauses, including financial compensation to be awarded in light of some quite morbid instances such as loss of life by lightning, or suicide, and such. It may sound bizarre, and it could also come across as crass, but the club has a cost-benefit analysis that it has to make, as the player is effectively a value asset that it holds the registration and economic rights to, so we have to respect its position (whilst fearlessly putting forward our own position on behalf of our client). It wasn’t the ‘most’ challenging case we have had, but for some reason that case always sticks in mind when I am asked this question, and is usually the first one I refer to. Probably because of the really dark and precise nature of the clauses that we were negotiating, which detailed ways in which the player would be injured or lose his life, and the valuation that would be attached thereto!

5. What advice would you give to those looking to work in sports law? 

It sounds simple, but don’t give up. The industry is growing, and there are opportunities for everyone out there. Go, learn about the sector, see which parts you enjoy the most; for some it may be working at the grassroots and with foundations, for others it may be right at the elite level, or somewhere in between.  Each has its own benefits, burdens and challenges, and people will find their own preferences in different areas. Find what you like, get to know people working in that area, learn from how they did it, and then take your steps. Generally, those who persevere will find the opportunities they desire, over time. Of course, if you ever have any questions or wish to discuss something, reach out to me, and I will do the best I can to guide you.

6. What is next for DKP?  

Hopefully more of the same. We have grown exponentially in the last couple of years and whilst I am not naïve enough to think that we will keep growing at exactly the same rate for the next 2, 3, 5 years, as long as we continue to grow, I will be delighted. As it stands, the entire team is busy, we have a range of outstanding matters involving clients from Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and Australia, and we look forward to helping more clients in the future. We have our own philosophy and way of working and we are really pleased that our clients have bought into the way we do things and present ourselves. So as long as we are still here in the months and years to come, I will be more than happy. That will have meant that we have remained strong in what is a growing and competitive industry.

7. Please could you briefly describe a typical ‘Day in the Life of DKP’? 

This is probably the most challenging question, because there is no typical day really. Every single day is different, and prior to the Covid-19 imposed lockdown, I was used to international travel most weeks, which would skew regularity completely. So the first thing that makes this question challenging to answer is, on any given day I could be in the UK, Spain, or somewhere else in entirety. Some days may involve working quietly at the office, the home office, or even a coffee shop, right through to appearing at court or meeting clients at discreet locations.

In light of the above, I will try to give you a valid example based on how things are taking place during the lockdown. We usually have our team calls on Monday mornings, so ordinarily a Monday would commence with the whole team going through all that has happened in the past week, as well as all that we need to go through in the next week; either as individuals or together as a team or in sub-teams. At the moment, where we are not bound by travel, I try to have all of my Skype / Zoom meetings straight after our team call, so I can assess all of the next steps and delegate any action points (where necessary) at the earliest opportunity.  Thereafter, I would get on with any research / drafting as much as I can, particularly as we have a few outstanding hearings due to take place in the coming weeks. Although we have lockdown across almost all of Europe, and most of the world, the hearings will be taking place via conferencing suites over the internet.   Lockdown may stop our physical movements, but nothing stops the law from proceeding!  Finally, when we have a new client engagement, I am the final point of all for all engagements, and all of the presentation and preparation for such would come from myself. I would therefore have to manage to incorporate this in, somewhere. Usually my working week would spread across all 7 days, but during lockdown I manage to incubate a day or so at some point where I can get on with other life-admin and shut down from work.

So not a typical day overall, but the most typical example of a day during these times we have.