About us
From Cluj-Napoca to the Olympic Games. Romania's first law firm dedicated exclusively to sports law, and the only law firm in the world to win an Olympic medal.
Gherdan & Associates was founded in January 2021 by Sabin Gherdan and Ioan Vlad, two lawyers who combined over a decade of experience in sports law with a shared conviction that Romania’s sports industry deserved a law firm that treated sports law as a full-time discipline, not a side practice.
The idea was deliberate. Athletes, coaches, clubs, and federations face legal disputes that are fundamentally different from standard commercial litigation, governed by specific federation regulations, strict deadlines, international arbitral bodies, and consequences that can end careers or destroy clubs overnight. Navigating that landscape requires practitioners who live inside it every day. That is what Gherdan & Associates was built to be.
The firm’s most defining moment came at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the legal team represented the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu before the CAS Ad-Hoc Division. Following five days and four nights of intensive proceedings, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in Romania’s favour, awarding Bărbosu the Olympic bronze medal after the American team’s inquiry was found to have been filed past the regulatory deadline. It is, to our knowledge, the only instance in Olympic history where a law firm secured a medal by successfully challenging a field of play result through arbitral proceedings.
Beyond that landmark case, the firm has represented clients in multi-million euro financial recoveries across proceedings before FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber, the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal in Geneva, FIBA, Romanian courts, and national and international federation bodies, in football, basketball, gymnastics, handball, chess, tennis, rugby, and other sports disciplines.
In 2024, managing partner Sabin Gherdan co-founded the Romanian Court of Sports Arbitration (TRAS) – the first independent sports arbitration institution in Romania – establishing a new institutional framework for resolving sports disputes faster and with greater specialist expertise than the common courts system.
Gherdan & Associates operates from offices in Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest, serving clients nationally and internationally.
To learn more about the lawyers behind the firm, visit our team page.
It was quite difficult and stressful to be involved in my first lawsuit case ever. But I am pleased happy that I had the chance to work with Sabin Gherdan and his associates, who helped me get through this, and together we managed to get the final result we were looking for.
We had reached out to Gherdan & Associates in a legal case that involved a Club in a foreign market, a legal counsel in the country of dispute, our agency and our client. The level of detail and proficiency of Mr. Sabin Gherdan was unparalleled by being fast, proficient and executed with utmost care for our client. I can only recommend G&A with the highest level on this case and will be happy to refer them in the future to any of my colleagues and clients.
When I had problems with my contract, Sabin Gherdan was the one to suport me. It was a long and tough process for me.But I was fortunate to have him and his team on my side. I will always be thankful for the commitment, hard work, and great strategy to win the case. Also, the way they supported me was amazing throughout the process. I couldn’t choose a better “Point Guard” to help me win this one!
Sometimes in sports happens, you need help from an attorney. Sabin helped me with my case from the beginning, and I was more than happy to work with him. He showed me how important it is to have a great attorney in this business.
Our lawyers are ready to assist you with any legal problems you may have.
You can contact us by e-mail or, in urgent cases, by phone.