Overview
CHICAGO (October 31, 2014) — International law firm McDermott Will & Emery represented Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) in its acquisition of California’s newest Major League Soccer team. The club, announced today, is the twenty-second to join Major League Soccer and will play in Los Angeles.
Ownership group LAFC will be led by celebrated entrepreneur Henry Nguyen and acclaimed sports industry veterans Peter Guber and Tom Penn.
“We have enjoyed working with Tom, Henry and Peter on this important transaction,” said McDermott Corporate partner Stanley H. Meadows, who co-led the deal with Ryan D. Harris. They will no doubt bring tremendous strength to Major League Soccer and Los Angeles.”
Harris, who is also a partner in the Firm’s Corporate Practice Group, said that he is proud of the relationship McDermott has built with LAFC.
“This deal marks an exciting moment in Major League Soccer and the City of Los Angeles, and we are happy to have been a part of it,” said Harris. “The fact that LAFC chose McDermott as its legal partner for this transformative acquisition underscores our leadership in the area of sports law and the skill and commitment of our lawyers.”
The acquisition is the latest in a series of high-profile matters handled by McDermott’s dedicated sports practice. The Firm has played important roles in transactions across a variety of professional leagues, including the NBA, MLB and NFL. Among those deals is the 2012 sale of NBA franchise Memphis Grizzlies and the 2009 transfer of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field and other related assets from Tribune Company to a partnership with the Ricketts Family.
In addition to Meadows and Harris, the McDermott deal team included partners Tom Ward and Jennifer Mikulina; as well as associates Cole Parker, Rebecca Smith and Jarrett Szczesny.
McDermott’s Sports Law practice provides sophisticated clients with a broad range of services, including Mergers and Acquisitions, Real Estate & Finance, Tax Planning and Audit, Labor and Employment, Intellectual Property, as well as Trial and Litigation. Clients served include sports teams, team owners, athletes, athletic associations and organizations, private investors and municipalities.
About McDermott Will & Emery
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,100 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
© 2014 McDermott Will & Emery LLP. McDermott Will & Emery conducts its practice through separate legal entities in each of the countries where it has offices. This communication may be considered attorney advertising. Previous results are not a guarantee of future outcome.
