Sam Beer

Sam Beer joined Bird & Bird as an Associate in the Sports Disputes & Regulation team in June 2020. Prior to this, Sam was an Associate at Herbert Smith Freehills in Tokyo for almost 4 years, having also trained with the firm in London, Tokyo and Dubai. In 2018, while continuing to work full-time at HSF, Sam obtained a master’s degree from ISDE in International Sports Law, graduating top of his class. 

1. Have you always wanted to work in sport? When did you first gain an interest in sports law? 

Sport has always been a huge feature of my life but was not initially part of my career aspirations; that developed later. My first goal was to become a disputes lawyer. It was only really after I had started work that I began to think about any form of specialism.  

Early in my career I worked on international commercial arbitrations for a broad array of clients across all sorts of sectors: energy, real estate, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, IT etc. While I enjoyed the technical legal work, I sometimes felt uncomfortable flitting between industries so often. I realised that I would be more inspired (and would be able to provide a better service to clients in the long term) if I immersed myself in one sector that I was particularly passionate about.

This realisation kicked-off a long process of reflection (on various areas of law and sectors), planning (how to learn more and who to learn from), and action (studying at ISDE, pro bono work for FIFPro etc.) that culminated, several years later, in my move to Bird & Bird.

When I started the reflection stage, sports law was immediately appealing. It is a sector that can add huge value to all sorts of individuals’ lives, not to mention society and the world at large. Personally, the joy that sport has given me throughout my life naturally made me want to contribute positively to its future (which, in my experience, is what sports law sets out to do). However, the thing that most surprised me was what a complex and exciting area of law it is from a technical perspective. Sports law operates at the confluence of international law, national laws and sporting regulations, and regularly involves unique issues with compelling contexts. The more I learned about sports law, the more convinced I was that I had found something that motivated me deeply.

2. What is the best piece of career advice you have been given? 
 
Search hard for something that inspires you; and focus on it. 
 
Chris Moon, a remarkable person who was injured while working for a charity clearing landmines and is the first amputee to complete the Marathon des Sables, among many other things, came to speak at my school when I was a teenager. He spoke to us about finding something that you are passionate about and then pursuing it with everything you have. This has stuck with me ever since. We do not all have to be motivated to run ultra-marathons (I still haven’t!) but we will find more value in our careers if we truly care about what we are doing and have worked hard to get there - rather than just following the path of least resistance (or, dare I say, most financial reward). So, if you are in the privileged position of being able to choose a direction for your career, make the most of it!
 
3. Are there any particular areas of sports law that interest you? 

I am genuinely fascinated by most aspects of sports law. Effective sports regulation and governance, of course, cannot just focus on one issue. However, if I had to pick one area, the intersection of sport and human rights throws up some especially challenging issues. We have seen this with the recent Caster Semenya dispute and there are several other examples of difficult eligibility disputes in recent years.
 
4. What do you think the biggest legal issue(s) facing sport will be in the near future? 

Coincidentally, a similar area to the above. Naturally, COVID-19’s impact will be felt for years to come but, aside from this, I think sports law will continue to see issues around sex and gender. Many sports regulators have been adapting their regulations, which were often initially designed with only assigned sex in mind, to be open and fair to people of all genders and identities. Balancing all parties’ interests while preserving the integrity of competitive sport is a challenging task and no doubt controversies will continue to arise in the coming years.

5. What advice would you give to those looking to start a career in sports law? 

Be prepared to make sacrifices along the way – whether that is working longer hours, giving up your time for free or risking job security. This is true of many industries but with sports law, a highly competitive niche sector within a huge profession, you are going to have to commit 100% and take risks to break in. There will plenty of luck (and resilience) required. If you are motivated though, it will all be worth it.

As to how to achieve it, there is no one ‘right’ way. A lot will depend on the position you are in when you decide you want to move into sports law. The one thing I thoroughly recommend to everyone is to not think too big immediately. Take a step back to think about the things that you can realistically do to get more experience and exposure to sports law and list them – all of them, however small. Initially, this might include studying, attending webinars, reaching out to potential mentors, reading (or, even better, writing) books and articles, offering free representation etc. As soon as you have put together a working list, start completing it – building it up as new ideas or opportunities arise. Of course, there will be setbacks, but you will be amazed at how much progress you can make if you keep at it.