On the Supreme Court of Sport: in Switzerland, Brent Nowicki •Ž06
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UB Law Forum Volume 28 Number 1 Fall 2013 Article 24 10-1-2013 On the Supreme Court of Sport: in Switzerland, Brent Nowicki ’06 Helps Settle Athletic Disputes UB Law Forum Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/ub_law_forum Recommended Citation UB Law Forum (2013) "On the Supreme Court of Sport: in Switzerland, Brent Nowicki ’06 Helps Settle Athletic Disputes," UB Law Forum: Vol. 28 : No. 1 , Article 24. Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/ub_law_forum/vol28/iss1/24 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Alumni Publications at Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in UB Law Forum by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 2013 Fall Forum 11240_2013 10/4/13 10:10 AM Page 27 SUNY BUFFALO LAW FORUM • FALL 2013 27 On the Supreme Court of sport In Switzerland, idea of sports law is far more developed here. And outside of football (soccer), athletes Brent Nowicki ’06 are not hugely compensated. It’s a passion helps settle thing here – both from a player and fan perspective. That passion athletic disputes runs all the way to the law.” As one of six Legal Coun - ike a lot of lawyers, Brent sels at the CAS, Nowicki Nowicki ’06 has hard-won ad - compares his work to that of vice to give to law students. “Do a federal court clerk. “We Lwhat you love,” he says. “Attor - brief the case, digest it with neys spend a lot of time at their desk, a the arbitrator or arbitration lot of time handling other people’s panel, and see it through the problems and issues, a lot of time away hearing,” he says. “I’m draft - from their family. If you don’t truly love ing decisions and doing re - your job, the stress of spending all that search.” time is compounded.” And the public is watch - Unlike some other lawyers, though, Left to right: Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver ing. “We have cases that are Nowicki has followed his own advice. A Andre Reed, former Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy filed at 4 o’clock on a talented lacrosse player at Fairfield Uni - and Brent Nowicki ’06. Wednesday afternoon, and a versity in Connecticut, where he was decision has to be made part of several championship teams as a Dimitar Kutrovsky, two professional Thursday morning because it will affect midfielder, Nowicki has crafted a career tennis players from the Unitd States, and that night’s game. These are games that in sports law that now has taken him to Caroline Maher, an Egyptian taekwon - might be attended by 100,000 people Lausanne, Switzerland, where he is Legal do competitor, in doping appeals before and watched by 10 million. Our job is to Counsel for the Court of Arbitration for the CAS, as well as handling contract ne - decide in a very short time whether that Sport. The CAS resolves legal disputes – gotiations for professional football and game should be played. People here are from corporate sponsorship contracts lacrosse players. passionate about sport.” to doping allegations – from the sports The CAS had never had a North Nowicki sees the field of sports law – world through arbitration. American attorney in its court before, so lex sportiva – as exploding in the next “I don’t think my plan was to end up when the opportunity presented itself, few years, as for example issues of match here in Lausanne,” Nowicki says. “Per - Nowicki made the leap to Switzerland. fixing and spot fixing (bribing players in haps it was fate. I just followed my “In the end, it was the perfect opportu - order to fix a bet on some aspect of a heart.” nity to handle true sports-related issues game, such as when the first offsides call After his Law School graduation, and disputes at the highest level,” he will be made) which could arise in U.S. Nowicki worked at the Buffalo law firm says. “On a day-to-day basis, I get to re - sports as well as overseas. “The CAS ju - Hodgson Russ, where he practiced com - view, consider and opine on legal issues risprudence is looked at as the authority mercial and insurance litigation before that affect sport franchises, Olympic on so many of these issues,” he says, “so developing a specialty in sports law. “I committees, sporting federations, major shaping the law is pretty exciting.” became determined to take what I loved event sponsors, and the lives and careers As for his first passion, lacrosse, he (sports) and find a way to combine it of athletes. Our workload includes dop - has found a way to keep it alive as well. with my skill set (legal),” he says. ing cases, eligibility issues, player/club/ Having played recreationally as a way to Nowicki credits Ronald L. Jaros ’66, a agent disputes, field of play disputes, get to know some athletes in his adopted longtime sports attorney in labor issues, player transfer disputes, breach of con - town, he has now signed on as a coach for opening the door to his first sports tracts (commercial) and sponsorship for the Swiss national team that will law assignment, as a regional attorney agreements, and just about anything else compete next year, in Denver, for the for the Professional Lacrosse Players As - you can imagine in the field of sport.” Federation of International Lacrosse sociation. “The light bulb went off,” And Europe, he says, is at the center World Cup. “Coaching these guys is Nowicki said, “and from that moment, I of the sports world. “The world of sport awesome,” he says, “because they really knew I needed to find a way to make this is just massive outside of the United want to absorb what you have to teach work.” States,” Nowicki says. “Europe has been them. There’s much more of a team ap - His legal work in sports grew, includ - handling these matters under a stand- proach to the sport here.” ing representing Robert Kendrick and alone practice of law for 20 years, so the.