"What's a lawyer doing at the Olympic Games?"

People have been asking me, “what’s a lawyer doing at the Games?” thinking that it bears no relation to my day job, where I am locked away in an office with no fresh air or sunlight, drafting contracts day and night (or at least that is what they think my day job is like).

There are actually a variety of roles for lawyers to perform at sports competitions like Sochi. At past events, I've done things like leading anti-ambush marketing teams, negotiating last minute rights sales contracts for the event, and even negotiating commercial agreements for future competitions, taking advantage of the fact that all the necessary parties want to attend the event. I have spent much of the last three years working on tenders and sales of broadcast rights in Europe for the Games (as well as for Rio 2016). In the days and weeks leading up to the opening ceremony, even after my arrival in Sochi, I was working on last minute amendments to broadcasting contracts and reviewing the legal side of eleventh hour sub-licensing arrangements being put in place by broadcasters.