Bryan Cave LLP and Holme Roberts & Owen LLP (HRO) announced January 1 that they were combining into one large law firm to be known as Bryan Cave LLP.
The firm, which was founded in 1873, will represent a wide variety of business, financial, institutional and individual clients, many of which operate in the sports industry.
“It was clear to us from the beginning that Bryan Cave and HRO share common values, including a passion for building long-term relationships with clients,” said Randy Miller, managing partner of HRO. “This combination allows for the unbroken continuity of those professional relationships while also permitting us to offer a wider array of legal services to existing and new clients.”
In a press release, Bryan Cave LLP announced that it is “very excited about the opportunities this move creates for our entire firm. The combination will add exceptional legal capabilities in energy, natural resources, and sports law to Bryan Cave’s international resources, while expanding the firm’s worldwide presence into the Rocky Mountain region (where HRO was primarily based) and adding significant new depth and experience in California.”
In a December 7, 2011 letter sent to Bryan Cave clients, the firm detailed some of the enhancements to its sports law capabilities, resulting from the merger with HRO. These enhancements include:
(1) “Nationally and Internationally Recognized Industry Leader. The HRO sports group is recognized both nationally and internationally as a leader in sports law and is ranked in the national category for Sports Law in the edition of Chambers USA 2011.
(2) “Representative Clients. The HRO Group represents clients throughout the world on many levels and aspects of sport, including professional, Olympic movement, anti-doping, collegiate and sports arena clients. Some of its professional sports and entertainment clients include the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the Colorado Rockies and the PGA Tour. Their arena and venue clients include the Staples Center, The O2 and The Coliseum at Caesars Palace. They have also represented various collegiate clients including the NCAA, the Mountain West Conference and the University of Tennessee.
(3) Representative Matters. The group has significant experience in a variety of sports industry matters including litigation; sports facilities- development, financing and operation; naming rights and sponsorships; and television.
When asked by Sports Litigation Alert to give some insight into what sports law resources HRO would bring to Bryan Cave, Adam Brezine said, “The combination of the two firms creates what we view as an unparalleled sports practice with national and international scope. Together, we have the best of both worlds—deep experience in the field, and the headcount and geographic scope to handle matters of any size for clients around the world. This leaves us well situated to serve a broader array of clients in the increasingly global sports marketplace.”
The Bryan Cave Sports, Sponsorship and Event Venue Group is, “excited to join forces… and to further enhance our ability to provide the type of world-class service and expertise that our clients have come to expect.”
The combined firm has more than 1,100 attorneys in over 30 law and professional offices around the globe. It is among the 25 largest in the world.
