Sports

Jackson Walker’s sports attorneys have played an important role in shaping the sports industry. Members of our award winning team are regularly recognized by U.S. News–Best Lawyers® as some of the leading sports lawyers in the country.  We offer clients first-hand knowledge of the complex facets of the industry and a commitment to roll up our sleeves and work side by side with them to evaluate opportunities, identify potential issues, and plot strategies for the future.

Our broad roster of clients spans the spectrum of the sports sector, including:

  • Professional, Olympic, collegiate, and high school athletes
  • Collegiate and professional sports teams and their owners
  • Sports franchises and governing bodies
  • Olympic organizations
  • Sports facilities
  • Investor syndicates

We routinely counsel sports clients on a wide variety of legal matters that focus on:

  • Player eligibility, discipline, anti-doping measures, defamation, and gender issues
  • Contracts, endorsements, and sponsorship deals
  • Investments in professional teams and clubs
  • Intellectual property including trademark and copyright licenses, purchases, and consent agreements
  • Media, content distribution, syndication, and rights negotiations
  • Civil litigation, including defense of injuries on the playing field and advocacy of the sports activity doctrine
  • Negotiation of sports facilities
  • Counseling of privacy, wealth management, and tax planning
  • Immigration

Jackson Walker’s deep roots within the business of sports offers clients a perspective from various angles within the industry.  This is further highlighted by leadership roles within national and international sports governing bodies, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and other highly regarded sports organizations.

  • Preparation and negotiation of various industry agreements
  • Preparation and negotiation of sponsorship and athlete endorsement deals
  • Intellectual property rights management issues for athletes and sports teams, including copyright, trademark, and right of publicity
  • Sports industry dispute resolution, including sports contract disputes, intellectual property disputes, and right to compete grievances

Chip Babcock

February 29, 2024
Mentions

Chip Babcock Profiled in Best American Baseball Experts Society

“Chip has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s top litigators and has garnered many awards from many distinguished trial groups along the way. There are likely more achievements to come as he continues to practice full-time, but the interesting storyline to me is that despite all of his success in a notoriously adversarial profession, Chip remains a down-to-earth, hail-fellow-well-met, in the truest sense of the terms. That is exceedingly rare in the modern world of Rambo litigation.”

Bob Latham

January 16, 2024
Insights

Sweet Caroline, No | SportsTravel Winners & Losers

With apologies to Neil Diamond, Bob Latham’s first SportsTravel column of 2024 takes on what is rapidly becoming the most over-played song in sports.

2024 Best Law Firms announcement

November 2, 2023
Spotlight

Jackson Walker Earns 25 National and 134 Metro Rankings in 2024 Edition of “Best Law Firms”

Jackson Walker proudly announces the firm’s inclusion in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms® by Best Lawyers. This year, Jackson Walker observed notable improvements in the national rankings, including the rise of Appellate Practice to Tier 1, Banking and Finance Law and Litigation – Labor and Employment to Tier 2, and the addition of Energy Law and Environmental Law in Tier 3.

Bob Latham

September 11, 2023
Insights

Appreciating the Mittys of Sports | SportsTravel Winners & Losers

Some of the greatest moments in sports have come when everyday people are thrust into the spotlight.

By Bob Latham

Skyline of the city of Houston

September 7, 2023
Attorney News

Recognized Litigators Hugh Tanner and Jim Nye Join Jackson Walker

Jackson Walker is pleased to announce the arrival of litigation partners Hugh E. Tanner and James H. Nye to our Houston office. Hugh and Jim are highly regarded trial attorneys focused on complex commercial litigation, primarily within the oil and gas sector.

Dallas Bar Association Entertainment CLE - Featuring Kheana Pollard, Demi Williams, Shayan Gaziani, Andrew Rhoden, and Justin Jones

August 23, 2023
Speaking Engagements

Shayan Gaziani and Demi Williams Speak on NIL Panel Presented by Dallas Bar Association’s Entertainment, Art & Sports Law Section

The Dallas Bar Association’s Entertainment, Art & Sports Law Section on August 23, 2023, hosted a CLE panel featuring Jackson Walker attorneys Shayan Gaziani and Demi Williams along with Justin Jones (Fee Smith & Sharp), Andrew Rhoden (Masterly Legal Solutions), and Kheana Pollard (Bell Nunnally & Martin).

Bob Latham at TEAMS Europe 2023

June 30, 2023
Speaking Engagements

Bob Latham Presents Case Study on Rugby World Cup at TEAMS Europe Conference

US Rugby Hall of Fame inductee and Jackson Walker partner Bob Latham spoke on the opening day of the TEAMS Europe Conference on June 27, 2023. As an Executive Board Member of World Rugby, Bob joined a panel moderated by SportsTravel Managing Editor Matt Traub and including Sarah Massey, 2025 managing director of Women’s Rugby World Cup, and John Eades, the UK managing director for DAIMANI, as they presented a case study on the Rugby World Cup.

June 28, 2023
Attorney News

Bob Latham Inducted into US Rugby Hall of Fame

Jackson Walker is pleased to announce that Robert P. Latham will be inducted into the US Rugby Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 16, 2023.

Sports gambling

June 5, 2023
Insights

Alabama Baseball, Iowa Football, and Things Everyone Should Know About Sports Gambling

By Arthur Gollwitzer

Over the past five years, online sports wagering has become commonplace in the United States. DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM have become household names. This is the result of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Murphy v. NCAA, in which the Court struck down a federal law prohibiting sports wagering. Since that time, 33 states have legalized sports gambling in some form. As a result, online sports books have expanded access to wagering across the nation, making a sports bet as easy as downloading an app on your phone.

More Sports News


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