Overview
Media, entertainment and sports are highly competitive and often interconnected industries driven by creativity, innovation and consumer preference. With their intricate dynamics and changing needs, companies in this space need counsel with unique understanding of the landscape and the legal issues that come with it. Our team can rise to the occasion with practical advice, battle-tested strategies, and creative solutions backed by acumen and industry knowledge.
Our lawyers handle matters on behalf of a wide variety of organizations in the media and entertainment industries, including film, television and music studios; entertainment parks; and media conglomerates (both print and digital). We also regularly advise athletes, sports team owners, private investors, franchises, and athletic associations on navigating the legal issues related to doing business.
Together, across practice groups and geographies, we help our clients:
- Execute transactions such as purchases and sales, mergers, tender offers, joint ventures, and management buyouts
- Build strong contractual agreements, including those with payroll, talent, business managers, vendors, or unions
- Address financing needs of all kinds, including securitizing naming rights obligations, stadium financing, and general corporate financing
- Negotiate stadium and other real estate contracts and advise on the legal issues likely to arise in financing and development and other related agreements
- Tackle antitrust challenges when making moves to grow their businesses and defend against government scrutiny in case of investigation or litigation
- Counsel on right of publicity and right to privacy issues and considerations relating to use of a person’s name, image, and likeness in branding
- Fully monetize valuable intellectual property while protecting brands from infringers
- Design bespoke trainings for employees and engage in proactive planning to address workforce issues and maintain compliance
- Engage in strategic tax planning, including in the context of transactions and estate planning
- Defend against wage and hour claims, consumer class actions, and other reputation-harming litigation, and investigate sensitive situations that may involve high-profile individuals and/or hot-button issues
- Evaluate privacy and cybersecurity policies and practices to reduce exposure and keep up with evolving state and global privacy obligations