Launching a new league or team in the sports industry is a complex matter, and requires trusted counselors and partners to navigate through the various legal issues that arise. Our firm’s platform, depth of experience, and holistic view of the sports industry offers clients practical, efficient advice for new sports organizations.
Emerging teams and leagues turn to our global Sports Industry team as trusted advisors as they break into the market and establish themselves. Our lawyers have extensive experience and draw upon the multidisciplinary strength of our firm’s platform to guide new sports teams and leagues through all phases of growth in this rapidly expanding industry, from the initial stages of entity formation to assisting with the development of growth and expansion plans once the venture has been established. We have experience in organizing and structuring entities in both the single-entity and franchisee models and regularly counsel clients on the pros and cons of each approach.
Raising capital is one of the most important–and necessary–goals of a new team or league, and our lawyers can help with financing, capital offerings, shareholders agreements, convertible notes, and debt offerings. Another priority for newly established teams and leagues is reviewing real estate and facility ownership needs. Our lawyers harness a vast knowledge of opportunity zones and other tax incentives to help clients secure the best option financially for their facility or stadium.
We help emerging teams and leagues draft and negotiate a broad range of contractual agreements, including player and coach contracts, sponsorship and naming rights agreements, suite licenses, venue use agreements, apparel contracts, broadcast and media rights deals, and other strategic collaboration agreements.
We also help emerging leagues or teams with intellectual property, data privacy, immigration, and labor and employment matters–all critical issues that face new organizations.
When a new president is elected, the incoming administration often engages in an intense review of its predecessor’s policy actions, particularly when there has been a shift in party control.
On 7 December 2024, the House and Senate Armed Services committees released the long-awaited text of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that will guide how defense funding can be spent and what defense policy priorities will be for the next year.
On 30 January 2024, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule (Final Rule) increasing the premium processing fee from US$2,500 to US$2,805, increasing filing fees for I-129 and I-140 employment-based petitions, and imposing a new Asylum Program Fee for each Form I-129 and I-140 filed by employers.
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