FELLOUS AVOCATS · THE TEAM

Laurent Fellous

Lawyer · Founding partner

Paris Bar

Parcours +

A member of the Paris Bar and holder of the certificate of specialisation in sports law issued by the Conseil national des barreaux (French National Bar Council), Laurent Fellous founded FELLOUS AVOCATS in 2016. Having built his experience within renowned law firms and major organisations in the sports economy, he now advises federations, leagues, clubs, institutions, organisers, agents and athletes, as well as executives and businesses.

In sports law, he handles contracts, transfers, sports regulations, disciplinary proceedings and disputes. He advises and represents his clients before state courts and French and international sports bodies, including the CNOSF (French National Olympic and Sports Committee), the AFLD (French Anti-Doping Agency), FIFA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and World Athletics. In business law, he assists companies and their executives with their contractual relationships and litigation. Each matter is approached taking into account its legal, economic, operational and institutional stakes, as well as the client's short- and long-term objectives. The firm is regularly recognised in specialist rankings, including Leaders League, Le Point and Best Lawyers.

Laurent Fellous has also been editor-in-chief of Jurisportiva since December 2024 and is the founder and host of Offside, the FELLOUS AVOCATS podcast. Through these media and his contributions on social media, he extends his analytical work and makes the legal issues of sport accessible to professionals and to a wider audience.

Teaching and professional training

Laurent Fellous teaches sports law in higher education, notably at Paris School of Sport, Sup de Pub, UPEC and EAJF. He is also a trainer for leading organisations, including Lefebvre Dalloz and Lamy Liaisons Académie.

Since 2025, he has designed and delivered training courses and a certification programme in sports law with Lamy Liaisons Académie. The programmes cover in particular sports contracts, national and international sports justice, football law, eSport and federation regulations.

Formation +

Certificate of specialisation in sports law
Conseil national des barreaux, 2022

Certificate of aptitude for the legal profession (CAPA)
École de formation du barreau de Paris, 2016

Master 2 in Sports Law
Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, 2013

Langues +

French · English (C1 level)

Contact +

Fellous Avocats
2, boulevard Raspail
75007 Paris

contact@fellous-avocats.com ↗01 84 80 75 31

GET IN TOUCHWrite to the firm ↗2, boulevard Raspail · Paris 7^e

Publications

Articles written

All publications ↗

Commercial lease: rights, procedure and rent setting

The cornerstone of business life, the commercial lease is governed by a mandatory (ordre public) regime that is largely favourable to the tenant. Term, renewal, eviction, rent.

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Anti-doping test at 2 a.m.: what the law really allows

2 a.m. tests on the 2026 Tour: whereabouts requirements, in-competition and out-of-competition testing, the rules governing night-time testing. An analysis by a sports lawyer.

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Fellous Avocats strengthens its teams with two new talents

Adam Bengel: a new generation of legal professionals focused on business law and sport. Vannesa Sandoval: an international outlook serving our clients

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Reform of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP): what changes for transfers from 1 January 2027

The new FIFA RSTP comes into force on 1 January 2027: compensation for breach, liability of the new club and a share paid to the player. Our analysis.

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GDPR: protect your data, secure your liability

FELLOUS AVOCATS assists businesses in bringing their activities into compliance with the European data protection rules.

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Recovering unpaid salary in professional football: proceedings before the FIFA Football Tribunal

How can a player recover salary left unpaid by a football club? What is the FIFA procedure in the event of non-payment? What sanctions apply to defaulting clubs? These are the key questions answered by this case study, centred on the decision issued in July 2024 by the Dispute Resolution Chamber of the FIFA Football Tribunal in Valentin Rosier v Beşiktaş JK.

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Commercial law: understand, anticipate, act

Need to draft a contract, general terms and conditions of sale (CGV) or terms of use (CGU)?Do you need to manage your company's GDPR compliance? Our Paris law firm, specialising in commercial law, supports you in all these legal matters.

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Company closure lawyer

The dissolution of a company marks the end of the legal entity's life, materialised by the voluntary or forced cessation of its activity, and may result from various causes.

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A lawyer to transfer a business (fonds de commerce) in Paris

Every year, FELLOUS AVOCATS handles several dozen sales of café, hotel and restaurant businesses (fonds de commerce).

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Digital and cryptocurrency lawyer

It covers personal data law, intellectual property law, e-commerce law and the law of new information and communication technologies (NTIC).

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Termination of agent contracts

- broker agent: termination must necessarily be based on serious misconduct

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What does a transfer involve?

It is the buyout of the value of a contract by one club from another club. For example, if a player plays for club A under a contract running until 2021, club B wishing to sign him will have to buy out the 2 remaining years of the contract by paying a so-called transfer fee, which it must negotiate with the selling club (club A). [/column]

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Everything you need to know about sports agents' remuneration in France: legal framework and regulations

In 2022-2023, football sports agents received a total of 152 million euros in fees, according to the LFP's DNCG (Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion, French football's financial watchdog). Although this amount is impressive, it is strictly regulated by law. Since the 1992 "Bredin" Act, the legal framework governing the sports agent profession has continued to evolve, in particular with:

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The FIFA procedure for overdue payables

Financial obligations of clubs towards players of other clubs. Article 12 bis of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players provides for a procedure in respect of overdue payables.

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The "equivalence" procedure for foreign agents wishing to practise in France

There are 2 options: either a recognition of qualifications, which serves as establishment (this application is permanent), or an application for authorisation to practise under the freedom to provide services (this application is periodic and must be renewed every year).

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Michel PLATINI has officially referred his case to the CAS

Michel PLATINI has officially appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision of the FIFA Appeal Committee.

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The compensation mechanisms available to football training clubs

The training of young football players and the compensation mechanisms available to training clubs often raise a wide variety of questions.

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Is eSport legally a sport?

eSport continues to grow: numerous competitions, both national and international, are regularly created. Many investors therefore wish to capitalise on this new phenomenon. However, owing in particular to its exponential growth, the status of eSport remains unclear: is eSport legally considered a sport?To answer this question, it is necessary to look at:

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The legal background to the dispute between the FFF and the LFP

Understanding the dispute between the LFP and the FFF requires addressing:

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SC Bastia wins its legal battle against the LFP

According to the judgment handed down by the Marseille Administrative Court of Appeal on 29 February 2016, a stadium closure falls within the scope of Article 24 of Law 2000-321 of 12 April 2000. On 21 October 2012, on matchday 9 of the French Ligue 1 Championship, AC Ajaccio hosted Sporting Club de Bastia (SC Bastia). The match, which ended in a goalless draw (0-0), was unfortunately marred by incidents involving, in particular, the Bastia supporters.

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Dismissal of football club employees is not subject to prior referral to the LFP Legal Commission

Two employees of Espérance Sportive Troyes Aube Champagne (ESTAC) were dismissed on economic grounds in 2009. After bringing their cases before the Employment Tribunal (Conseil de Prud'hommes) and the Reims Court of Appeal, which ruled in favour of the employees, holding in particular that ESTAC's failure to refer the matter beforehand to the legal commission of the Ligue Professionnelle de Football was sufficient "to deprive the dismissals of genuine and serious cause, and to require on this point that the judgments be reversed", the employees appealed to the Cour de cassation.

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How the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) works

Arbitration is an alternative method of dispute resolution whereby the parties to a dispute empower one or more arbitrators to settle their dispute(s).Since its creation on 30 June 1984, the place of the Tribunal Arbitral du Sport (TAS), or Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), in sports justice has grown exponentially, owing in particular to the expansion of its jurisdiction and the resulting body of case law.

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The triggering event in civil liability

Although the French Sports Code (Code du sport) lays down a good number of obligations for organisers of sporting competitions, the general law nonetheless always applies. It is in this light that I thought it appropriate to highlight certain aspects of civil law as applied to sport.

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A sports agent's mandate agreement may be formed by an exchange of emails

According to a recent judgment of the Cour de cassation, an exchange of emails may serve as a written contract provided that it contains the mandatory particulars of the mandate agreement. A very interesting judgment of the Cour de cassation clarifying the conditions of validity of the mandate agreement under Article L. 222-17 of the French Sports Code. (Cass. Civ. 1ère, 11 July 2018, no. 17-10.458).

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The Lawyer Acting as Sports Agent

Although constantly developing, the status of Lawyer Acting as Sports Agent remains little known to a large proportion of sports stakeholders.

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The national football bodies: FFF and LFP

The FFF was created in 1919. It holds a public service delegation, meaning that it provides a public service in the same way as social security, education, etc., and manages everything relating to amateur football and the national teams. By means of an agreement, it entrusts the management of professional football to the LFP, such as Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and, for some of the clubs, National 1. [/column]

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The legal implications of the failed European Super League project

“The Super League” is the name of the company whose creation was announced by the group of 12 (6 English, 3 Spanish and 3 Italian clubs) with the aim of organising “as soon as possible” a European Super League run by its founders:

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A look at some international football bodies

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) issues rules for National Federations and Confederations (federations organised by continent).

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Answers to your questions: FIFA, Tony Yoka's suspension, the ethics bonus, Neymar...

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association brings together 211 member associations and 6 confederations operating at continental level (Confederation of African Football CAF, Asian Football Confederation AFC, Union of European Football Associations UEFA).

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Financial fair play

A measure laid down by the confederations: UEFA created financial fair play. Approved in 2009 and in force since 2011, it means that clubs cannot spend more than they earn. Yet clubs such as PSG or Manchester City have to invest heavily to sign attractive players. They therefore have more expenditure than revenue. To make up for this, they find ways of generating additional revenue through ticketing, TV rights or sponsorship contracts. [/column]

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eSport: the legal status of the company

E-sport, short for “electronic sport”, refers to the practice of video games in which at least two compete against each other on various platforms (Internet, local or LAN). For a company, associating itself with e-sport means targeting a young, dynamic customer base with a keen interest in video games. It is therefore important to consider the legal status of the company and to determine the regime that best protects the company's interests.

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eSport: the legal status of the e-player

eSport is developing at lightning speed: new national and international competitions are constantly being created, attracting the attention of companies wishing to promote their business by associating themselves with this practice. eSport, short for “electronic sport”, refers to playing video games in which at least two players compete on different platforms (online, local or LAN).

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Employer / employee: 4 steps to know about termination by mutual agreement (rupture conventionnelle)

Since it was introduced in 2008, termination by mutual agreement (rupture conventionnelle), which allows an employer and an employee to end the employment contract by mutual consent, has been a resounding success. In total, more than 2.7 million such agreements have been concluded (statistics from the Direction de l’animation de la recherche, des études et des statistiques (DARES), the French Labour Ministry's research and statistics department). Despite this success, termination by mutual agreement still raises many practical questions about the applicable procedure and the terms of the agreement.

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Athletes in video games: image rights...

FIFA 21: around 300 footballers say they are ready to take legal action to challenge the way their names and faces are used in the FIFA 21 video game, according to the sports agent Mino Raiola . Yet the use of their names and faces is tightly regulated and locked down by the publisher EA Sports . Agreements are indeed concluded with footballers' unions, even if the earnings for the players concerned are relatively low.

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Doping: limits on the disciplinary power of the AFLD

Under Article L. 232-22, 3° (of the French Sports Code), in doping matters, the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) has the power to review, on its own initiative, disciplinary sanctions imposed by sports federations and then, where appropriate, to amend them. To better understand the scope of this decision, we will consider: first, the role of the AFLD (I.); second, the grounds of the QPC (II.).

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The Conseil d'État upholds the decision of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) to end the French Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the Ligue de Football Professionnel had been forced to bring the 2019-2020 sporting season to an end, abandoning the organisation of play-offs for certain clubs but maintaining relegations, on the basis of the rankings it had drawn up.

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Sponsorship contracts

A contract under which any company may associate its name with a club in return for payment. This contract enables the company, on the one hand, to gain significant publicity through the club's media exposure and, on the other, the club to obtain additional revenue, which is necessary in the context of financial fair play.

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The agent contract

An agent is a person who puts a club and a player in contact; an agent is an intermediary.

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Ligue de Franche-Comté de football held liable for moral harassment

In a judgment dated 5 April 2016, the Besançon Court of Appeal found the Ligue de Franche-Comté de football liable for acts of moral harassment.

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How should the private agreement between Lassana Diarra and OM be interpreted?

Alongside the signing of a four-year contract with Olympique de Marseille (OM) in July 2015, Lassana Diarra signed a second contract with the same club, as a private agreement (sous seing privé), which was not approved by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP).

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Lawyer for judicial reorganisation (redressement judiciaire)

Judicial reorganisation (redressement judiciaire) proceedings will be opened where a debtor is unable to meet its liabilities that are due with its available assets. These proceedings are therefore open to any debtor that is insolvent (en cessation des paiements). Insolvency is the key concept of the procedure, since it is what allows the proceedings to be opened. It should be noted that, in law, a debtor is a person who owes an obligation to another person, the creditor.

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Shareholders' agreement lawyer

Drafting shareholders' agreements, i.e. the agreement concluded between shareholders alongside the company's articles of association, is also part of our work.

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The Lawyer Acting as Sports Agent - Part 3: the commission

Before any transaction, a lawyer acting as sports agent signs a mandate agreement with a player, a club or a coach providing for remuneration.

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The lawyer acting as sports agent - Part 2

The lawyer acting as sports agent (Part 2)

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What is a lawyer acting as sports agent?

It is a lawyer registered with a bar who holds the title of sports agent (mandataire sportif): a status created by the Law of 28 March 2011, which allows a lawyer to represent a player or a club in a transaction.

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Lawyer for judicial liquidation (liquidation judiciaire)

The question you may be asking yourself is the following:

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Employment law lawyer

Are you looking for a lawyer specialising in employment law in Paris? Do you need legal advice or support to defend your rights and interests? Our team of experts is available to assist you at every stage of your case, whether in employment law, social protection or collective labour relations.

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Contract law lawyer

Contracts are ever-present in the daily lives of individuals and companies. Numerous legal rules govern the formation of contracts, and these are sometimes difficult for non-lawyers to grasp.

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Company formation lawyer

In addition to choosing the appropriate legal form, we carry out all the formalities for setting up your company on your behalf

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A lawyer to manage commercial litigation effectively

Maître Laurent FELLOUS, a lawyer at the Paris Bar, assists businesses facing disputes in their day-to-day operations. These disputes include commercial litigation, but also internal conflicts in the form of disputes between partners.

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Lawyer for drafting general terms and conditions of sale and use in Paris

Properly drafted general terms and conditions of sale or use are necessary to protect your business from a legal standpoint.

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Ending of the French Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships: a non-exhaustive overview of the legal issues

On 28 April 2020, when presenting his plan for easing lockdown to the Assemblée Nationale, the Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, announced that " the 2019-2020 professional sports season, in particular the football season, [would] not be able to resume. "On 30 April 2020, the Board of Directors of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) decided to formally end the French Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships, adopting, for Ligue 1, the points-per-game ranking method, namely on the basis of the number of points and the number of matches played.

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Analysis and outlook of the CJEU judgment of 4 October 2024 - FIFA v Lassana Diarra

Reference: CJEU, 2nd Chamber, Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) v BZ, 4 October 2024, C-650/22

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The Adrien Rabiot case

In this video, I explain the case that set the sports press alight: the Adrien Rabiot case, involving the PSG midfielder. The case concerns the Charte du football professionnel (Professional Football Charter), a collective agreement applicable only to professional clubs.

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The team