Raise Your Game: Job in brief?

Jason Smith: I advise on sports law, either to individual sportspeople; clubs or organisations or sponsors. I also advise individual sportspeople on management.

Examples of clients include, Marc Jenkins (international tri-athlete), Rhys Williams (400m hurdles), Gareth Llewelyn (rugby union international), Aled James (rugby league international), Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey and British Kitesurfing Association.

Qualifications

• Law degree
• Law school

Skills required

• Communication and negotiation skills
• Time management
• A general commercial awareness

RYG: Your path?

JS: After law school in 1993 I did a 2 year training contract with a law firm in Cardiff. After a stint in London with the firm, I returned to Cardiff and did a pupilage (barrister training) with a set of Chambers in Cardiff. After that I converted back to the solicitor's profession and worked for a national law firm in Cardiff.

I joined Darwin Gray initially as a consultant in July 2002 and became a partner in June 2003. I initially started advising on sports law in 2000 and on joining Darwin Gray developed this further so as well as advising client's I also lecture to young sportspeople from a range of sports on contracts, sponsorship and time management.

I have also been appointed as an arbitrator member of the Sports Dispute Resolution Panel, who try and resolve sports disputes without the parties needing to resort to formal legal proceedings.

RYG: Advice?

JS:Anybody thinking of going into law as a career should try and get some work experience with a range of firms, offering different services so they can experience the range of work that lawyers do.

Sports law is really a amalgam of different areas of law so anyone interested in practising sports law, should aim to train and qualify in a commercial firm where they can get a good grounding in the different aspects of advice required in advising sportspeople, clubs, organisations and sponsors.

All lawyers are required to have good academic qualifications - that's taken for granted. In my view what makes a really good lawyer, is one who can make sound commercial decisions on their clients' behalf.