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Cozen O’Connor advised the Philadelphia Union, a professional soccer club that competes in Major League Soccer, in a multi-year partnership with Penn Medicine, a leading academic medical center.
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Cozen O’Connor has curated a multidisciplinary team of attorneys with decades of collective experience in the sports law arena, offering sports industry clients a full spectrum experience for their legal needs. Our attorneys represent clients working in all sectors of the industry, including professional and amateur teams and organizations, team owners and executives, professional leagues, professional and amateur athletes, agents and agencies, venues and arena management companies, corporate sponsors, and sporting equipment manufacturers.
We have purposefully built a well-balanced group that provides a full range of litigation, corporate/transactional, immigration, regulatory, and intellectual property services to our sports clients. One of the great benefits of working with Cozen O’Connor is our flexibility. As a well-known trial firm, we regularly represent sports clients in business litigation. Also, our nationally recognized corporate and intellectual property practices provide counsel on matters ranging from stadium development, ownership investment to trademark prosecution.
For example, our team has been at the helm of long-term partnership agreements between professional teams and renowned names in the corporate sphere, as well as nine-figure litigation involving some of the biggest names in sports. We have helped players resolve crucial immigration matters, and we have helped clients navigate compliance traps when marketing through social media. With both a deep and wide bench of attorneys with significant sports industry experience, we stand ready to assist with any issue that arises.
Beyond our mastery of the legal and regulatory aspects of the sports industry, Cozen O’Connor brings an extensive network of relationships to every engagement—and a deep appreciation for the power of relationships in this sprawling but deeply connected industry. Many of our practitioners have been working on behalf of sports clients for decades, so we are often able to make introductions, foster partnerships, and identify opportunities for mutual benefit. Because of this work, Cozen O’Connor is exceptionally attuned to issues of reputation and zealously protects the public image of every client.
CLIENTS
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Leagues and other governing bodies
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Major and minor league franchises
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Club owners and ownership groups
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Coaches and team executives
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Professional and amateur athletes
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Players associations
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Agents and agencies
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Venues and arena management companies
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Corporate sponsors
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Equipment manufacturers
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Sports media content and technology providers
SERVICE AREAS
Litigation
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Represent sport clients in complex commercial litigation and contract disputes
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Handle antitrust claims for plaintiffs and defendants
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Conduct sensitive internal investigations and lead civil, administrative, and criminal proceedings
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Counsel and defend clients in all manner of labor and employment litigation
Corporate/Transactional
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Serve as outside general counsel to major sports franchise and arena owners
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Lead mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, including team acquisitions
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Negotiate private equity and other complex financings
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Lead public and project finance deals; serve as bond counsel on stadium financings
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Represent clients in major real estate transactions and sports facility development
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Negotiate executive and player contracts
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Advise clients on business development, media initiatives, and marketing strategies
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Counsel clients on relevant regulations from telecommunications to tax to utilities law
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Provide estate and tax planning to high-net worth individuals
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Handle foundation and nonprofit formation
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Counsel on immigration law issues
Intellectual Property
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Conduct all forms of intellectual property litigation and dispute resolution
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Negotiate sponsorship, endorsement, merchandising, and licensing agreements
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Negotiate the sale or purchase of media rights, media catalogues, or name and likeness rights
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Counsel clients on the right of publicity and right of privacy
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Represent clients on trade secret, counterfeiting, and price discrimination issues
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Lead trademark, copyright, and patent enforcement actions
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Provide comprehensive portfolio management and counseling