Partner in the Labor and Sports Law practice at Muñoz Tamayo & Asociados since 2021. Joe Bonilla began his career at the firm in 1996, taking on paralegal and administrative responsibilities. Since then, he has built a solid legal career at MTA. His professional journey reflects not only his commitment and discipline, but also the firm’s strong institutional support for the development of its team members.

Joe Bonilla has worked in important businesses such as the establishment of the Marriot hotels in Colombia or the transfer of employees from Ecogas to TGI S.A ESP. His experience includes legal counsel to PDVSA, the Venezuelan oil company when it expanded its operations and was required to train employees in Colombia.

His special interest and passion for sports led him to co-author the document that sets the minimum parameters for contracting professional athletes with sports clubs. He has also advised several international sports clubs seeking to recruit Colombian players.

He has been a consultant for national and international clubs, businessmen, players and directors in Colombia in soccer, sports and labor law matters, such as Azul & Blanco Millonarios F.C. S.A., América de Cali S.A., Club Deportivo Popular Junior F.C. S.A., Chelsea Football Club, Associação Chapecoense de Futebol, Santa Fé and the Atlanta Braves. Specifically, he supports the process of the linking of players to clubs, execution of sport transfer contracts, transfer of image and media rights, advertisement, and even the termination of the bond with players. Also, has been advisor in the execution of contracts for intermediation, collaboration, sports insurances, manage and exploitation of sports facilities.

Additionally, he makes the defense of the clubs and players in disciplinary proceedings in national and international tournaments and the procedures before the constitutional, labor, civil jurisdictions and arbitration in sports, labor and doping matters.

He has been a speaker in sport and labor law matters in Colombia and Chile, in some Colombian universities, such as Universidad de los Andes, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Universidad Sergio Arboleda and Pontifica Universidad Católica of Chile. In addition, he has been an author in different opinion columns referring to sports and labor law matters in publications such as El Tiempo, Portafolio, Ámbito Jurídico, El Deportivo among others.

He has been a member of the following Boards of Directors

• Member of the Board of Directors of América de Cali
• S.A. Member of the Colombian Association of Sports Law – ACODEPOR.
• Founding member and Director in Colombia of the Southamerican Association of Football Lawyers – ASAF.
• Member of the Labor Committee of the Colombian American.
• American Chamber of Commerce Member of the Labor Committee of the National Association of Businessmen of Colombia (ANDI).
• He has been appointed as an arbitrator by the Labor Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Bogotá District.