Martin Schimke joined Bird & Bird as Senior European Consultant in July 2004. He is a member of the firm's Sports Group and is a recognised expert in this area. The JUVE Handbook of German Commercial Law Firms 2005/ 2006 identifies Martin as one of the "leading names" and one of the "most recommended lawyers" in the field of sports law. In addition Martin has a certified specialisation in labour law.

Martin is a former member of the German national basketball team and began his careeer advising athletes, sports associations and unions in amateur and professional sport at both national and international levels. He was a member of the Legal Committee and the Anti-Doping-Commission of the German Basketball Federation (DBB) as well as a member of the Arbitration Body of the German Ice Hockey League (DEL).

Martin is the author of the practice handbook “Sportrecht” (Sports law). He has also published numerous articles on the legal issues surrounding sport. Currently, Martin is, among other things, a lecturer in event, sponsoring and labour law at the International School of Management (ISM) in Dortmund. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the magazine “International Sports Law Journal” (ISLJ).

Since 1999, Martin has been a member of the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) / Tribunal Arbitral du Sport (TAS) in Lausanne as well as the Chairman of the Sports Law Commission of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA).