Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP was also recognized as one of ‘100 Law Firms with a Sports Law Practice You Need to Know About.’
Hackney Publications (HP) has announced that Christopher Deubert of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP, one of the nation’s “leading young sports lawyers”, has been featured on Sports Law Podcast. The segment can be heard here (Christopher Deubert of Constangy).
In addition, the firm was recognized in the 4th annual list of the “100 Law Firms with a Sports Law Practices You Need to Know About.” The firms are selected through feedback from tens of thousands of subscribers and reader of Hackney Publications’ sports law periodicals.
“Chris is one of the nation’s leading sports lawyers with expertise in both collegiate and professional sports, especially in the area and labor and antitrust law,” said Holt Hackney, the CEO of Hackney Publications. “He is also a thought leader in the space, crafting articles for Hackney Publications and others.”
Chris is an attorney with more than thirteen years of experience at law firms, in-house, and in academia, with extensive expertise in sports, litigation, and labor and employment. He represents and advises employers with respect to a variety of labor and employment matters, including discrimination complaints, wage and hour claims, class actions, employment agreements, restrictive covenants, data privacy, trade secrets, employee handbooks and policies, internal investigations, and more.
Chris also advises and represents a variety of parties in the sports industry, including teams, associations/tours, and agents/agencies, as well as universities and related parties in NCAA and other regulatory matters.
Chris previously worked with Hilton Hotels & Resorts, managing, advising on, and representing Hilton in disputes, litigations, arbitrations, and mediations around the world. In particular, Chris managed domestic employment litigation, including discrimination, wage and hour, wrongful termination, and similar claims. Chris also oversaw actions brought pursuant to California employment law, including class actions and Private Attorney General Actions.
Chris also previously operated as a solo practitioner, representing mostly clients in the sports industry, including but not limited to professional sports teams and athletes, sports agents, a sports marketing agency, and an NFT-related sports start-up. Chris assisted clients with litigation, league matters, employment, transactional matters, corporate governance, corporate formation, intellectual property, sports betting, and more.
From November 2018 to March 2021, Chris was General Counsel for D.C. United of Major League Soccer. In that role, Chris served as chief legal counsel to the ownership group which owns D.C. United, Audi Field, Loudoun United FC (USL), Segra Field, and related real estate interests. Chris handled a broad range of legal issues including litigation, contracts, sponsorships, ticket and suite matters, stadium operations, events, stadium licensing, sports betting, corporate governance, intellectual property, employment and labor, internal investigations, insurance, broadcasting, data privacy, immigration, real estate, community relations, COVID-19, bankruptcy, vendors, MLS and FIFA matters, and more.
While at D.C. United, Chris also oversaw the Human Resources, Information Technology and, at times, Operations Departments. In overseeing Human Resources, Chris drafted and implemented the Employee Handbook and relevant employment policies, including compliance with District, state and federal laws governing workplace discrimination, harassment, wages, hours, workplace safety, employment classifications, benefits, insurance, vacation, and leave. Additionally, Chris oversaw the implementation of policies of best practice concerning ethics, confidentiality, workplace conduct, benefits, diversity, equity, and inclusion, signature authority, social media usage, performance reviews, compensation, mental health, substances of abuse, dispute resolution, and more.
Prior to joining D.C. United, Chris worked at two New York City law firms in the areas of sports law, and commercial, intellectual property, securities, antitrust, and labor and employment litigation. At these firms, Chris handled all matters necessary for litigation, including taking and defending depositions and arguing in state and federal courts, with multiple published decisions to his credit.
From May 2014 to May 2017, Chris was the Senior Law and Ethics Associate for the Law and Ethics Initiative of the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, a long-term research project designed to improve the health and wellbeing of current, former, and future NFL players. The Law & Ethics Initiative, led by the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School, studied legal and ethical issues affecting NFL player health and issued a variety of publications that garnered significant public attention, including coverage in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Sports Illustrated, and on ESPN.
Chris’ sports practice is focused primarily on representing NFL players in League matters, including appeals for Commissioner Discipline, under the NFL’s Policy and Program on Substances of Abuse and under the NFL’s Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances, and related litigation. Chris also regularly represented NFL players and agents in disputes under the NFLPA’s arbitration procedures. Other clients included a PGA TOUR member, NBA player, an NCAA Division I student-athlete, and sports agents and agencies. Chris also helped prepare salary arbitration cases and conducted related research for a MLB club.
