Our Members

Darren Kane is a specialist sports and commercial lawyer admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of NSW, High Court of Australia and Supreme Court of England and Wales.

Darren advises a range of sporting clients including international, national, state and regional sports governing bodies and other multi-disciplinary sports organisations; athletes; coaches; rights holders; and agencies from sports as diverse as rugby league, football (soccer), water polo, modern pentathlon, cricket, tennis, swimming, diving, archery, thoroughbred racing, harness racing, hang gliding, baseball, wrestling, weightlifting, equestrianism, judo, taekwondo, table tennis and track & field athletics.

Darren advises in areas including sports governance; sports integrity, the drafting and implementation of sporting rules and regulations; anti-doping; sports dispute resolution and disciplinary matters; international and Olympic nomination and selection disputes; sponsorship and endorsement deals; gaming and wagering; playing contract and related employment matters; and matters relating to branding and the protection and exploitation of image and related rights.

In addition, Darren conducts a broad corporate and commercial practice which includes advising clients in relation to partnership, joint venture, shareholder, share sale and purchase, management, supply, procurement and licensing agreements; intellectual property ownership and disputes; employment contracts; defamation; commercial dispute resolution and ADR; and various regulatory matters. Darren is an experienced and credentialed commercial litigator with two decades of experience, representing clients in the superior jurisdictions in New South Wales and throughout Australia.

Darren appears in coronial inquests and commissions of inquiry, and accepts instructions to appear in such proceedings on a regular basis.

Darren holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) specialising in sports law.

Darren is a member of the Australia and New Zealand Sports Law Association and the British Association for Sport and Law.

Darren presently holds or has held the following appointments:

• Chairman of the Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales.
• Chairman and Public Officer of The Carbine Club of New South Wales.
• A member of the Ethics Panel of the International Testing Agency.
• A member of the Legal Committee of World Aquatics (formerly Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA)).
• A member of the Reform Committee of FINA.
• A member of the Governance and Ethics Reform Sub-Committee of FINA.
• The Chairman of the Reform and Governance Commission of, and Constitution and Governance Advosor to the International Weightlifting Federation.
• The Chairman of the Integrity Committee of Basketball Australia.
• Olympic Appeals Consultant appointed by the Australian Olympic Committee pursuant to the AOC Team Selection By-Law.
• An arbitrator, mediator and conciliator appointed to Australia’s National Sports Tribunal.
• A member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s Legal Aid Panel.
• A member of the Code of Conduct Panel of Rugby Australia.
• A member of the Appeals Panel of Harness Racing NSW.

Darren is a feature sports columnist with The Sydney Morning Herald and related Nine Entertainment (Fairfax Media) publications throughout Australia.