In-Depth
Legal team
How these lawyers found their way to sports and why their influence is rising
Talk to many sports lawyers, and they’re likely to reveal how they mostly stumbled into sports, but it’s no accident that sports has evolved into a specialty in the legal profession. Sports lawyers hold a rising level of influence as deals become more complex and the risks more pronounced, whether it’s drawing up a local sponsorship, lobbying to secure public funding for a development project, or detailing components of a media rights deal. In the stories that follow, meet some of the lawyers who have made names for themselves in sports and see why they are worth watching in the years ahead.
CHUCK BAKER
Partner, DLA Piper, New York
JARED BARTIE
Counsel, Arent Fox, New York
STOKE CALDWELL
Partner at Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, Charlotte
JACK BAIR
Senior vice president and general counsel, San Francisco Giants
KEVIN WARREN
VP of legal affairs and chief administrative officer, Minnesota Vikings
AYALA DEUTSCH
Senior vice president, chief intellectual property counsel, NBA
LAWRENCE EPSTEIN
Executive vice president and general counsel, UFC
WOODIE DIXON
General counsel and vice president of business affairs, Pac-12 Conference
DON REMY
General counsel and vice president of legal affairs, NCAA
FRED NANCE
Cleveland Browns general counsel; partner, Squire Sanders
MARIE DONOGHUE
Senior vice president, global strategy, business development and business affairs, ESPN
