BCTG Avocats is strengthening its activities in the service of players in the sports ecosystem with the arrival of François Lhospitalier.

With more than 25 years of experience as legal director in the sports, media, telecoms and tech sectors, François Lhospitalier’s mission, alongside Augustin Nicolle, is to structure and develop a new global offering dedicated to the sports economy within the firm.

François Lhospitalier joins BCTG as Of Counsel. He brings significant experience in supporting sports organizations (federations, leagues, clubs, athletes, event organizers, equipment manufacturers, broadcasters, sponsors, sports marketing agencies, sportechs, eSports, investment funds, local authorities). His expertise covers a wide range of legal issues: sponsorship contracts, sports facilities, TV rights, ticketing, and compliance, etc.

Before joining BCTG Avocats, François Lhospitalier was Secretary General of Paname 24, the joint venture bringing together five of the largest French event production agencies, in charge of the opening ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He also served as Legal & Compliance Director of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), where he oversaw the legal issues of Roland-Garros and deployed a compliance and risk management program. He was a member of the Ethics Committee of the French Golf Federation, and currently sits on the Steering Committee of Stade Français.

“In my role as Legal Director, I wanted to be supported by a firm that has a perfect understanding of our business and our structures, and is competent in the main areas of business law: corporate, labor, commercial, competition, intellectual property, technology and personal data. I look forward to developing this comprehensive, cross-disciplinary approach with the firm’s teams, working closely with the stakeholders and addressing their issues, particularly in terms of regulation and governance,” said François Lhospitalier.