Paul Greene

Paul Greene

Founding Partner
  • Global Sports Advocates, LLC
  • 254 Commercial St Suite 245 Portland, ME 04101
  • +1-207-747-5899
Paul Greene Ranked Top Lawyer by Chambers USA 2023
Global Sports Advocates Chambers Ranking 2023
 

Paul J. Greene, the Founder of Global Sports Advocates, is recognized as one of the world’s leading sports lawyers, being ranked for the 6th consecutive year by Chambers USA, an internationally renowned corporation known for ranking firms and members of the legal industry.  Paul has handled sports law matters around the world, including numerous hearings before the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland (known as the “Supreme Court for Sports Law”).

He has represented athletes from more than 50 countries and more than 50 different sports, even representing an Olympic gold medal-winning horse. International sports lawyer Paul Greene has also successfully represented multiple sports federations and national Olympic committees in governance matters.

"Paul' is one of the most knowledgeable doping lawyers in the space and he is an exceptional advocate for his clients." - Chambers and Partners, 2023

More Than Just a Renowned International Sports Lawyer

While Paul is considered a top sports lawyer in the field, he is also a well-known speaker and author in the area of sports law both nationally and internationally and a professor of sports law.  He has taught “Law and Sports” at the University of Maine School of Law and as a member of the faculty at the Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía’s (ISDE) International and Comparative Sports Law LLM Program in Madrid, Spain, and New York City.  Paul has also taught “Legal Ethics” and guest lectured at many law schools and universities.

He is an Editorial Board member of leading sports law publications LawinSport, and Football Legal and a longtime member of the Sports Lawyers Association.

Legend Quote About Sports Attorney Paul GreenePaul is a member of RexSport, an international association of sports lawyers.

Paul is a member of the Immigration Legal Advocacy Project, a group committed to protecting the rights of immigrants by providing pro bono representation in asylum matters. He is admitted to practice in the States of Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Colorado.

Before becoing an International sports lawyer, Paul attended the University of Maine School of Law where he graduated cum laude, served as managing editor of Maine Law Review, and interned for the Honorable Kermit Lipez, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  He earned a master’s degree in communications from Syracuse University and his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University, where he captained the cross country and track teams.

Paul was named one of Maine’s 10 most intriguing people in 2016. 

Publications

  • United States Anti-Doping Agency v. Montgomery: Paving a New Path to Conviction in Olympic Doping Cases, 59 Maine Law Review 149 (2007)
  • Boats, Baseballs and What a Repeal of the Cuban Refugee Adjustment Act Might Mean for Both, Entertainment and Sports Lawyer (2009)
  • Is the International Olympic Committee Above The Law? Entertainment and Sports Lawyer (2010)
  • NBA Lockout: Implications for Europe, World Sports Law Report (2011)
  • International Olympic Committee’s Rule 45 thrown out: Is the British Olympic Association’s Bylaw 25 the next to go? World Sports Law Report (2011)
  • Incorrect Sanctions and Impact on Anti-Doping, World Sports Law Report (2012)
  • Beyond Doping Cases: A Primer on Olympic Jurisprudence as London 2012 Approaches, Entertainment and Sports Lawyer (2012)
  • Lance Armstrong and WADA’s Statute of Limitations, World Sports Law Report (2013)
  • The International Tennis Federation’s Anti-Doping Programme is Under Attack, LawInSport (2013)
  • A-Rod Suspended, World Sports Law Report (2014)
  • Redskins Trademarks Cancelled, World Sports Law Report (2014)
  • A short guide to the changes under the World Anti-Doping Code, LawInSport (2015)
  • How the USOC’s SafeSport Policies are Tackling Athlete Abuse, LawInSport (2015)
  • Deflategate ruling overturns NFL suspension, World Sports Law Report (2015)
  • Is Ryan Lochte’s punishment fair? Sports Litigation Alert (2016)
  • CAS reduces Sharapova doping ban, World Sports Advocate (2016)
  • Proposed anti-doping reforms in the wake of the Russia scandal, World Sports Advocate (2016)
  • When athletes are wrongly sanctioned under the World Anti-Doping Code (Maryland J. of Int’l Law) (2017)
  • The case of Paola Pliego and the false positive, World Sports Advocate (2017)
  • Should marijuana and cannabinoids still be banned for use in sports? LawInSport (2017)
  • A Review of the Arijan Ademi decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, LawInSport (2017)
  • The current state of the US when it comes to FIFA (Football Legal) (2017)
  • Why WADA should reclassify cocaine as a “non-specified substance” - the inequitable case of José Paolo Guerrero LawInSport (2018)
  • The Ezekiel Elliott case and the NFL’s six game ban (World Sports Advocate) (2018)
  • How athletes’ rights can be better protected when it comes to retroactive Therapeutic Use Exemptions, The International Sports Law Journal (2019) 
  • Gender discrimination impact on US sports, Global Sports Law and Taxation Reports (2019/2020)
  • Coronavirus: The Impact of the Pandemic on Women’s Sports in the USA, Global Sports Law and Taxation Reports (2020)
  • More Lenient Sanctions Made Available Under the New World Anti-Doping Code, LawInSport (2021)
  •  Will the Tokyo Olympic Games be “Apolitical”? ANZSLA Commentator (2021)
  • Contributing author SPORTING SUCCESSION IN FOOTBALL International Sports Law and Policy Bulletin 1/2022 (2022)

Conferences

  • Athletes’ rights under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, Florida Coastal School of Law (2010)
  • Athletes’ rights and Rule 45 of the Olympic Charter, Law, Policy and the Olympic Movement, Ithaca College London (2011)
  • Law and the Olympic Movement, University of Maine School of Law (2011)
  • Sports Law 101: National Business Institute (2011)
  • “What do to when your athlete tests positive”, USA Track & Field Annual Athlete Representative Conference, 2013-2019
  • Panelist, Athlete Welfare – Health, Doping Finance and Education, LawinSport Conference, London (2015)
  • Panelist, Tackling Doping in Sport Conference, London (2015)
  • Ins and Outs of International Sports Law, American Bar Association International Conference, Toronto (2015)
  • Law and the Olympics, Harvard Law School (2015)
  • Doping and Drug Testing Issues, Sports Lawyers Association, Baltimore (2015)
  • Athlete Biological Passport Program, Tackling Doping in Sport, London (2015)
  • Doping in Football, Player Contracts, London (2016)
  • Representing athletes in anti-doping proceedings, Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada Annual Meeting, Vancouver (2016)
  • Athlete representation in an arbitration, Tackling Doping in Sport, London (2016)
  • Broadening the scope of sports law, Chapman University School of Law (2017)
  • The Court of Arbitration for Sport, Sports Lawyers Association, Denver (2017)
  • Helping an athlete through an anti-doping offense, Tackling Doping in Sport, London (2017)
  • Sports, Drugs and Olympic Redemption, University of North Carolina School of Law (2017)
  • Mock Sports Arbitration, Sports Lawyers Association, Washington D.C. (2018)
  • Better Protecting Athletes’ Rights when it comes to Retroactive TUE’s, The Hague (2018)
  • Sports Arbitration, International Chamber of Commerce, Ottawa (2018)
  • Arbitrating Sports Disputes, Georgetown Law School (2019)
  • The World Anti-Doping Code, Partnership for Clean Competition, London (2019)
  • Is it time for a more holistic approach to sports integrity? LawInSport, London (2019)
  • The World Anti-Doping Code, International Forum on Sports Law, London (2020)
  • New World Anti-Doping Code in Arbitration, CAS Seminar, Montreal (2020)
  • The Impact of Postponing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Sports Lawyers Association, Virtual (2020)
  • The World Anti-Doping Code and Football, LawInSport, Virtual (2020)
  • Mock Sports Arbitration, Sports Lawyers Association, Virtual (2021)
  • Arbitration and Sports Disputes, Abu Dhabi CAS Alternative Hearing Centre, Virtual (2021)
  • The Voice of the Athlete in International Sport, Play the Game Conference (Odense, Denmark) (2022)
  • Anti-doping and the Impact on the Athlete, World Player Development Conference (Nyon, Switzerland) (2022)
  • NGB Best Legal Practices – Selection Procedures (Oklahoma City, OK) (2022)
  • Unintentional Anti-Doping Rule Violations, FIFPRO Legal Congress (Amsterdam, Netherlands) (2023)
  • The 3 “Russia Cases” at the CAS, Rex Sport General Assembly (Ravello, Italy) (2023)