Lesedi Mphahlele

Director
Johannesburg
Phone: +27 11 268 0250
Mobile: +27 63 793 3892
Email: lesedi.m@fwblaw.co.za
Areas of Expertise

Expertise

Lesedi was admitted as an Attorney in 2010 and brings a wealth of expertise and proficiency to all aspects of Dispute Resolution and Litigation in Sports Law, with a specific focus on:

  • Litigation at all Superior Courts, Lower Courts and Special Tribunals
  • Commercial Rights
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution (Mediations, Negotiations and Arbitrations)
  • Disciplinary Hearings
  • Contractual Disputes
  • Contract Drafting, Negotiation and Review
  • Developing Institutionalised Policies
  • Reputation Management (Defamation Law)
  • Governance, Risk and Compliance
  • Doping and Match-Fixing in Sports
  • Forensic Investigations

Lesedi litigates in all superior courts, lower courts and special tribunals including the Premier Soccer League (PSL), BCCSA, ICASA and the Press Council of South Africa. He acts for numerous clients in the sports law sector, which clients include inter alia the South African Football Association (SAFA), Titans Cricket, the Eastern Cricket Union, the Gauteng Football Association, Baroka Football Club, the SAIL Group as well as the Golden Lions Rugby Union.

Lesedi was instrumental in the matter, Ria Ledwaba v SAFA, where Ledwaba sought to overturn SAFA’s 2022 elections, after having lost resoundingly at the elections. The Gauteng Division of the High Court, Pretoria, set aside the application and gave an order as to costs in favour of SAFA.

 

Qualifications

  • LLB (University of Venda – 2007)
  • Higher Certificate in Sports law with distinction (University of Pretoria – 2021)
  • Completed the TerraLex Leadership Programme (2023)
  • Certificate in Doping Control Measures in Sports (South African Institute for Drug-free Sports – 2024)
  • MBA Candidate (MANCOSA)

Membership of Professional Bodies

  • Founding Director of the South African Sports Law Association
  • Member of the CEOs in Sports Association
  • Deputy Chairperson of the Coalition of Anglican Children’s Homes
  • Member of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADEL)

Recognition

  • Provided an endorsement for Professor Dr Jacques Faul’s book, Crisis Management in Sports (2024)
  • Ad-hoc panellist member on strategic discussions pertaining to sports leadership and administration, governance, risk and compliance
  • Annual sponsor of Mrs Bachelorette South Africa
  • Developed a manual for legal practitioners in South Africa on Effective Communication and Drafting Skills for Lawyers as mandated by NADEL and travelled across different jurisdictions in the country training legal practitioners on same (2017 – 2020)
  • Lesedi appears as a legal commentator both on television and radio platforms, covering varying legal issues.

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Lesedi Mphahlele