Darwin Gray solicitor gets French rugby agent’s licence
By admin
A Cardiff solicitor has become only the second non-French citizen to be awarded a French rugby agent’s licence.
Darwin Gray solicitor Rhys Parsons, 26, from Caerphilly, can now represent both professional rugby players and rugby clubs in France.
Following an intense programme of panel interviews and qualification procedures, Rhys was awarded his licence by the French Rugby Federation and has begun work as one of only a handful of licensed rugby agents in France.
Rhys, a graduate of the London School of Economics and law school at Oxford, is fluent in both French and Welsh and spent a year in a “players’ liaison” role with top French rugby club Agen before working as a solicitor in London and in Paris.
He returned to the UK to take up a position as an employment lawyer with Darwin Gray in Cardiff last October.
Rhys said: “The qualification process to become a licensed agent in France is notoriously rigorous and requires you to have real competency in the French language, French law, French tax procedures and the regulations of the French Rugby Federation.
“I was very pleased and relieved to get the licence and it will assist me greatly in the coming seasons. I’ll be able to act for UK-based players searching for clubs in France, French-based players looking to either re-negotiate their contracts or move to other clubs in France and also French clubs searching for international players.
“British agents have to work with licensed French agents when acting on behalf of a player who is looking to join a French club and this can cause difficulties with the language and completely different legal and tax systems causing great confusion.
“My licence now means that I can deal directly with the clubs on the player’s behalf and will ensure a much more effective service for players.”
Jason Smith, partner at Darwin Gray, said: “This is a great opportunity for Rhys and reflects the growing breadth of the sports work we do here at Darwin Gray.”
Tags: Cardiff, Darwin Gray Solicitors, French rugby agent, license, Rhys Parsons, ruby union, South Wales
