Leveraging its long-standing experience representing teams in every major professional sports league, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. has formally announced the formation of a dedicated Sports Law Practice Group.
The group’s knowledge and sports-related experience “spans the range of complex matters and legal disciplines, including business and stadium financing transactions, internal investigations, litigation and arbitrations, trade disclosure disputes, franchise acquisition and sale agreements, NCAA compliance advice, intellectual property and athlete-branding engagements, league governance and compliance matters, and player contracts.” The firm also represents several sports apparel manufacturers in a variety of matters and transactions.
“The formation of a dedicated Sports Law Practice happened organically and is a natural next step for the firm. For the past several years we have had a high number of engagements for clients in the sports world from the collegiate to the professional level and it made sense to organize and leverage that experience into a formal group,” said Keith Carroll, Chair of the Sports Law Group. “We are excited about the opportunities ahead and to bring a practice group focus to the many sports-related transactions and other engagements we are handling.”
Bob Bodian, Managing Member of Mintz Levin, noted that the group will have access to “the full resources” of the firm. “This is an initiative in which I have a strong personal and professional interest,” he added.
Aside from Carroll and Bodian, Tyrone P. Thomas is also a point of contact on the group’s home page. A member, Thomas, who works primarily in the collegiate athletics space, has written many articles for Sports Litigation Alert.
The firm added that its areas of focus for the Sports Law Practice include: the acquisitions and sales of sports teams or interests; equity and debt financing for team acquisitions or working capital; intercollegiate athletics representation; internal investigations; marketing, merchandising, privacy, and licensing agreements; professional athlete and management employment contracts; intellectual property and athlete brand support; stadium cellular, fiber optic, and other telecom transactions; team and stadium operating agreements and contracts; and representation in disputes and disciplinary matters among many other areas.
Among the group’s roster of clients are teams from the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Soccer (MLS).
