Our Founder
Our firm’s founder, Dr Dirk-Reiner Martens, was not only an internationally acclaimed arbitration and sports lawyer but, above all, an extraordinary person. Also after his sudden passing in November 2019, our way of thinking and our actions continue to be greatly influenced by his example. This is true in particular for his strong team spirit, his warm, humorous and respectful interaction with other people, his personal integrity, his tremendous pioneering spirit and his high demands on the professionalism and quality of our work.
In order to learn more about this great personality from whom we had the privilege to learn for many years, we recommend that you read an interview that Dr Martens gave about his work as an arbitrator, as well as two obituaries, which were published in the largest German journals for arbitration and sports law.
Our Firm’s DNA
When our law firm was founded in 2009, it was arguably the first spin-off from a large German law firm in the field of sports law and dispute resolution. Some of the motives that prompted Dr Martens to take this still unusual step at the time have become an integral part of our firm’s DNA.
In a family- and performance-orientated atmosphere with flat hierarchies and short lines of communication, we focus on the activities we are particularly passionate about: solving commercial disputes and providing comprehensive legal advice to the sports industry, both often on an international level. We place the highest standards on the qualitiy of our work and the services provided to our clients. Our leaner structures compared to large law firms also allow us to involve highly qualified lawyers with many years of professional experience much more comprehensively in our daily client-work and to still offer more cost-effective and flexible pricing models.
Furthermore, it has always been part of our DNA to pass on our knowledge to young lawyers and to awaken their enthusiasm for our consultancy sector. We continuously train trainee lawyers from all over the world in our law firm: lawyers from a total of 20 countries from Africa, America, Asia and Europe are part of our Alumni group and we organise alumni reunions for them on a regular basis. In addition, we regularly hold lectures on arbitration and sports law at various universities in Germany and abroad.
Our Social Responsibility
It is important to us as a company to take social responsibility.
For this reason and within the scope of what is permissible under professional law, we regularly provide free sports law advice to athletes who would not otherwise be able to afford it.
This is achieved in particular through voluntary work in the ‘Legal Council’ of Athleten Deutschland e.V.
In addition, it has always been of great concern to us to keep our ecological footprint as small as possible. From very early on, we introduced electronic filing and communication in order to reduce paper consumption to a minimum. We have been using local/district heating for heating and hot water for a long time. We have also been endeavouring for years to reduce our travel activities and make necessary journeys by train instead of plane to protect the climate as much as possible. In 2020, we also decided to continue offsetting emissions (calculated on the basis of the data available to us and estimated values) and have been making regular payments to atmosfair ever since.
We also regularly donate to a charitable organisation whose work we can particularly identify with as a law firm. In 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024, this was the Dirk-Nowitzki-Foundation, which has been helping children and young people for many years to recognise and develop their potential through sport and also outside of sport.
