Mario is Partner at Coccia De Angelis & Associati. His main areas of practice are international and national sports law, all areas of corporate and commercial law, arbitration, intellectual property, gambling and privacy. At present, he is counsel to NADO ITALIA, member of the WADA Legal Expert Advisory Group and Arbitrator at the CAS Ordinary and Anti-Doping Divisions. He regularly assists prominent clubs, leagues, athletes, agents and sports governing bodies from all over the world.

Outline your career to date.

Since the beginning of my career, I have been interested in providing legal assistance in an international context. I started with corporate, commercial, IP and privacy law, and then found a real passion in sports law, where all my practice in the other areas proves useful. To date, I have always preferred “boutique” law firms because such working environments have allowed me to develop my career and have a relationship with clients based on trust and tailor-made solutions, which are the DNA of the way I do my job as a lawyer. Another significant factor of my career is my academic activity, since I frequently give lectures in international and national congresses, symposia and seminars on arbitration, international law and sports law, also publishing extensively on sports law issues and doping-related topics.

What aspect of sport law do you find most exciting?

The most interesting part is the creative aspect. Often you need intuition and imagination to find the right solution and provide proper legal advice.

Have you seen an increase in any particular disputes that your clients have faced in recent years, and how have you mitigated their occurrence?

Disputes about IP rights and competition issues are certainly increasing. My advice to clients is to protect their IP rights in a timely manner and structure business models in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations.

How do you achieve excellent client satisfaction in such a fast changing and international practice area?

First of all, I suggest taking measures and implementing practices to prevent issues and, if they do occur, I develop quick and effective strategies to solve them successfully or mitigate the relevant damage in a cost-efficient manner.

Are there any developments that you think will have an impact on the sports law market in the future?

All the future implications of e-sports, metaverse and artificial intelligence, especially regarding IP rights and privacy.

What have you found most rewarding about your work in sports law?

Every time I am able to say to clients not what they cannot do, but how they can do what they want to do.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming sports lawyers?

Be passionate and keep in mind that to deal with sports law is not enough to know about sport, but it is essential to have a good legal knowledge.

If you could focus on one sport in particular as a speciality, which would you choose and why?
All the Paralympics sport disciplines, especially swimming, since the athletes are really inspiring.