Telles creates sports law team with arrival of José Miguel Albuquerque

Telles has just announced the creation of its new sports law practice. José Miguel Albuquerque (pictured) is an expert in several areas of sports law, including the resolution of all types of international and national disputes before sports dispute resolution bodies and advising sports agents (clubs, players, coaches and agents) on all matters related to transfers, contracts and registration of players and agents.

Francisco Espregueira Mendes, partner, explains that “the strong growth of Telles in the area of sports law justifies its autonomy, as our aim is to provide a more specialised service to our clients and to be closer to them.”

Albuquerque said: “After several years of advising players and agents before joining Sporting Clube de Portugal, and after four years of working as the club’s lawyer, as well as in its other sporting disciplines, I join Telles with great enthusiasm to offer our clients a specialised service in an area in which Telles is betting increasingly and effectively.”

José Miguel Albuquerque has worked as a senior lawyer at Sporting Clube de Portugal for the last four years and has a track record in the sports sector, having followed arbitration proceedings before the TAD and TAS and disciplinary proceedings before the Portuguese Football Federation and FIFA, as well as all the processes of recruitment, renewal and permanent or temporary transfer of players. His sports experience also includes advising on financial transactions and operations in corporate finance, banking, corporate governance and capital markets, as well as drafting and negotiating sponsorship and partnership agreements that significantly impact Sporting Clube de Portugal’s activities.

João Pinho de Almeida, Consultant, will be in charge of the sports law team, composed of José Miguel Albuquerque, senior associate specialised in sports law, Sara Brito Cardoso, associate specialised in tax law and Sara Mesquita, associate specialised in labour and social security. The team is multidisciplinary and its autonomy is also a formal recognition of the solid and in-depth experience it has acquired over the years in advising athletes, agents, sports companies, clubs, associations and federations of different sports disciplines.