Shane Wafer LL.B.(UP)

Managing Director

Shane is regarded as one of South Africa’s leading sports lawyers representing the likes of SuperSport, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS). He is a trained and accredited Arbitrator and Mediator with the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa (AFSA).

“His knowledge and experience in all manner of sports related matters beyond broadcasting, such as anti-doping and the representation of athletes in disputes in both South African dispute forums and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in Lausanne, are second to none and his record speaks for itself" – Phillip Leavesley Head of Legal at SuperSport

Shane has represented clients successfully before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the likes of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and FIFA. He specializes in representation before sports arbitral bodies and anti-doping tribunals. Shane has represented a number of prominent sporting figures and bodies in a wide array of contractual and doping disputes, including Olympic athletes, Springbok rugby players, PSL coaches and clubs and various national sports federations.

In 2010 Shane studied Law at the University of Pretoria immediately taking an interest in sports and business law. After completing his studies graduating with his LL.B. Law Degree, making the Deans Merit List, he completed his articles of clerkship at Couzyn, Hertzog & Horak which saw him gain tremendous experience in general and commercial litigation, and before various national courts including the High Court, Specialized Commercial Crimes Court as well as in the Magistrate’s Court.

Since Founding Javelin Sports Consulting, Shane has become an SME in the field of sports and commercial law with a keen interest in anti-doping, commercial law, intellectual property law and the sports dispute resolution.

Shane is currently acting as the prosecutor for the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS), serves in his daily practice as Legal Counsel to SuperSport and SuperSport Schools, and is a member of the Golden Lions Disciplinary Committee and various National Federation executives. He also regularly represents a number of high profile athletes included current Springbok rugby players and Olympic Athletes internationally on all elements of their career and disputes associated thereto.

Jan Kemp Nel, LL.B.LL.M(Sport)

Director

Jan is extremely well informed regarding all aspects of national and international sports law as well as of media and entertainment law matters. He has had first hand experience in the representation of clients in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and other decision-making bodies of international sports federations. Jan also has significant experience in litigating in front of South Africa’s national court structures, including the High Court and Labour Courts and has been practicing in litigation and arbitration in labour and commercial law matters. Jan obtained his law degree from the University of Pretoria in 2013 and then commenced his articles of clerkship at Couzyn, Hertzog & Horak which he completed in 2015. The level of exposure to general litigation at both the Magistrate’s and High Court levels was tremendous and also steered Jan towards wanting to forge a career in sports, media and entertainment law.

In 2016, Jan graduated as a Master in International Sports Law from the Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economia in Madrid, Spain (cum laude). The Master consisted of a practical phase and a theoretical phase, the latter of which saw him live in Lausanne, Switzerland as he worked for one of the top sports law firms in the world, Libra Law. Both phases of the Master’s allowed Jan to not only gain a sound theoretical knowledge in the field of international sports law but also allowed him to get hands on, practical experience in the field as he attended to various disputes before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. Jan has also attended various international sports conferences and attended a course week at the illustrious Wolfson College of Cambridge in London, England.

Jan is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa practicing for his own account and also holds the Advanced Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution conducted by the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa in conjunction with the University of Pretoria.

Mohubedu Ralph Mokwala, Bcom Law (UP), LLB (UP)

In-House Counsel

Ralph was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa in April 2015- the same year he completed his pupillage at the Pretoria Society of Advocates (the Pretoria Bar). Since then, he has sharpened his skills in drafting legal documents and representing clients in forums from the CCMA to the High Court as well as the Labour Court. He is passionate about sports law, labour law and commercial law.

Joining Javelin Sports has been a dream come true for him as it merges two of his greatest passions- law and sports. He is a tough negotiator known for his unrelenting pursuit of his clients’ interests.

In addition to his BCom Law and LLB degrees, he is registered for his LLM in Mercantile Law, he holds an Advanced Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution conducted by the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa in conjunction with the University of Pretoria, a Practical Labour Law Certificate from the University of Cape Town as well as a Compliance Management certificate from the University of Cape.

Nick Flowers, B.Com, B.Com. Hons, LLB(WITS)

Junior Associate Attorney

Nick heads up our social media accounts, striving to bring content that is original, informative, and engaging. Nick with his experience brings a unique perspective regarding a global model of sports regulation.   This allows him to critically assess Sports Law news not only on a global scale but within the South African and African landscape, and bring insight into the broader commercial and social issues surrounding sports.  

Nick is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, holding B.Com., B.Com. Hons. (Insurance & Risk Management), and LL.B. degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand. He also holds additional certificates in Sports Law (University of Pretoria & University of Cape Town), and Sports Management (University of Cape Town).

Nick is a candidate for an LL.M in Sports Law at the University of Miami School of Law. Nick was an LL.M. Senator for the Student Bar Association, member of the Society of Bar and Gavel honor society, and a member Entertainment & Sports Law Society – where he was a contributing author on their blog posts. Further experience was gained by working as a teaching assistant to Professor DeMaurice Smith (executive director of the NFL Players Association) for the course Sports, Ethics, Morality and the Law. He also acted as the International Regional Captain (Africa) for the Student Sports Law Network. In addition to these roles, Nick competed in and won the prestigious Moorad Game Day Case Competition hosted by Villanova University.