Actors have the Oscars. Musicians have the Grammys. Lawyers have Chambers.
For more than two decades, Chambers has ranked law firms and their attorneys by practice area. Initially, the UK-based organization ranked European firms. More recently, it crossed the pond and began ranking U.S. firms. Its findings have credibility because they are based on in-depth, objective research.
Among the firms recently earning recognition in the sports law area were Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates; Debevoise & Plimpton LLP; Foley & Lardner LLP; Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.; O’Melveny & Myers LLP; Arnold & Porter LLP; Holme Roberts & Owen LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Chambers described Dewey & LeBoeuf as being “the clear leader for representation of high-profile talent in high-stakes litigation in the sports industry.” It added that the firm is currently representing the NFL Players Association and the NBA Players Association in their collective bargaining negotiations with the leagues. Leading the firm’s practice are Jeffrey Kessler and David Feher.
Skadden Arps, meanwhile, “is anchored (by) phenomenal stable of sports litigators,” according to Chambers. “While litigation for governing bodies is its most notable work, the group also represents sports teams and franchises, and their owners, in M&A, sponsorship agreements and financing work.” Shephard Goldfein and Jeffrey Mishkin earned specific recognition for their work from Chambers.
Chambers described Debevoise & Plimpton LLP as having “a first-rate IP practice. Its group, spearheaded by the indefatigable figure of Bruce Keller, (who) continues to win major IP work from some of the major clients in US sports.” Keller told Sports Litigation Alert that “we are very pleased that Chambers expanded on our prior copyright, trademark, entertainment and related rankings with this recent recognition in sports law, based on the work we do for the NFL, NBA, NHL and other sports industry clients.“ He added that the firm wants to expand its sports law practice.
And it was certainly no surprise that Foley & Lardner made the list.
The firm’s sports practice “draws upon a multidisciplinary group of lawyers, enabling it to counsel sports clients on litigation, IP, tax and M&A transactions,” noted Chambers. “The team has an especially notable profile within baseball, and recently represented investment group Rangers Baseball Express in its much-publicized purchase of the Texas Rangers MLB franchise. The go-to- person for anything sports-related at the firm is Mary K. Braza, who also acts as outside counsel to MLB on a wide range of issues. “It’s a terrific honor to be recognized again by Chambers, especially because of the research they do in making such decisions,” she told the Alert. “It confirms to us that we are on the right track.” In many ways, the ranking can also embolden a law firm, strengthening its resolve to expand into other areas. Braza said Foley, for example, would like to increase its footprint into football and basketball in the future.
Miller Canfield made the prestigious list as well, primarily on the strength of its work in “collegiate and amateur sports, which has grown out of the firm’s long-standing relationship with the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The group handles a wide variety of work for the NCAA, including broadcast deals and athletic disputes,” according to Chambers. Greg Curtner, who was highlighted by Chambers, told the Alert that the firm was “very gratified to again be recognized by Chambers at the elite national level in sports law. We appreciate the trust of the NCAA and our other clients in allowing us to handle challenging, cutting edge cases, as well as provide them with licensing and counseling services.”
Chambers next profiled O’Melveny & Myers, whose “prominent reputation in the sports sector is strongly linked to its preeminence in the media and entertainment space. The firm has a close relationship with the International Olympic Committee, and handles its broadcast agreements and media transactions globally, as well as advising on sponsorship, venue and bid issues.” It further emphasized that “the group has emerged as one of the leading choices for broadcast and new media rights deals, both domestically and internationally.”
Joe Calabrese, partner and Chair of the Firm’s Entertainment, Sports & Media Practice, embraced the recognition of the firm’s practice, especially since this was the third time in four years that Chambers had given the firm the Award for Excellence, which is “a testament to the quality of work that our team is doing to help our clients who are involved in cutting edge transactions and high-profile disputes in the sports realm achieve success,” he told the Alert. Calabrese referred specifically to the work the firm had done with the International Olympic Committee on awarding broadcast media rights to Comcast/NBC for the 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 Olympic games; representing fight promotions company Top Rank Inc. in a variety of disputes including federal and state lawsuits against rival promoter Golden Boy Promotions over the right to promote boxing champion Manny Pacquiao; and representing Gilbert Arenas in connection with the investigation and criminal charges related to his possession of unloaded firearms.” Calabrese said the firm will continue to leverage other sports law niches as the situation merits. “We are also very involved in helping our sports industry clients with buying and selling teams, negotiating corporate sponsorships/naming rights deals, handling high-stakes litigation matters, and advising on arena and stadium development issues.”
Arnold & Porter was also featured, primarily for its work at the intersection of sports law and the copyright and telecommunications fields, where it “leverages its stellar media group.” Guiding the way is attorney Robert Garrett, who told the Alert that the firm is “pleased with the positive feedback from our clients,” which led to the ranking. Among Garrett’s past and current clients are MLB, MLB Advanced Media and the NBA.
Attorneys at Holme Roberts & Owen LLP called the Chambers recognition, a first for the firm, “a huge honor.” In profiling Holme Roberts & Owen, Chambers wrote that it represents “a wide array of sporting entities, including major league sports teams, as well as Olympic movement and collegiate sports bodies. The firm’s attorneys work with sports clients on an equally extensive range of issues, including litigation, corporate, banking, finance, labor and real estate.” Attorney Richard Young, who was highlighted along with Steve Smith, told the Alert that the firm has “literally handled hundreds of sports disputes in federal and state courts around the country and indeed the world, and before the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the American Arbitration Association.”
Smith said that Holme Roberts & Owen was “very flattered” since the Colorado-based firm doesn’t “always receive the attention that New York and Los Angeles-based firms do, even though we are working around the globe on similar matters.” He added, “A big part of our strength is that our ideas are not always legal – we pride ourselves on solutions that consider other pieces of the puzzle.”
Chambers also found plenty to like about Weil, Gotshal & Manges, whose “sports practice has traditionally been recognized for its expertise in labor law.” James Quinn, who was praised by Chambers, told the Alert that the fact that Chambers relies on client interviews to rank firms makes the recognition special. “My greatest satisfaction is achieving positive results for my clients,” he said. He added that the firm has no intention of resting on its laurels.
“We have a deep and talented bench of professionals with experience in representing every major sport in almost every imaginable situation,” said Quinn. “Across the US or across the globe, we are focused on expanding this practice and representing buyers and sellers of teams, investors in sports franchises, players and their associations.”
