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Winston has one of the world’s premier sports law practices. Our work has included some of the most famous legal matters in sports history—including Alston v. NCAA, the case that culminated in a 9–0 Supreme Court victory for the college players against the NCAA; the US$2.15B Los Angeles Dodgers acquisition; McNeil v. the NFL, the landmark antitrust jury trial that led to the establishment of free agency in the NFL; the multi-billion-dollar construction and permanent financings for SoFi Stadium; and Morgan v. USSF, the case that led to a historic equal pay settlement for the players on the Women’s National Team. Our work is transforming this global, multibillion-dollar industry.
Practice Area
Our Patent Litigation Practice is one of the country’s most active and highly regarded. Our seasoned patent litigators bring extensive courtroom experience to every matter we handle. According to Lex Machina, we are among the top three national patent defense firms in the country for number of appearances and cases filed, and we also were the top national defense firm for number of patent trials in the last five years (2018–2022).
Experience 8 results
Experience
|February 13, 2025
RF Acquisition Corp. Closes Business Combination with GCL Asia to Go Public
Winston & Strawn represented RF Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, in its business combination with Grand Centrex Limited, one of Asia's leading video game distributors and publishers. The combined company, GCL, is now listed on Nasdaq under the reserved ticker symbol "GCL.” The transaction gives GCL approximately $1.2 billion in pre-transaction equity value. GCL's existing shareholders will roll over 100% of the equity and retain a majority of the Combined Company's outstanding shares, while GCL also designated a majority of the Combined Company's board of directors. The transaction includes a minimum cash condition of $25,000,000 and resulted in GCL receiving gross proceeds of approximately $42.9 million (assuming no further redemptions by RF Acquisition shareholders). RF Acquisition and GCL have agreed to work together to pursue commitments for a private placement of equity, debt, or other alternative financings of up to $20 million. GCL expects to use proceeds from the transaction to accelerate its game publishing and IP management business, alongside its marketing reach with AAA/AA PC game titles.
Experience
|January 31, 2023
Secured Landmark Equal-Pay Settlement for Current and Former USWNT Members
In a global-headline-grabbing matter of first impression—applying the Equal Pay Act and Title VII equal-pay requirements to female athletes in a professional team sport, we lodged a class action for current and former World Cup-winning USWNT players against their employer, USSF, for equal pay and working conditions to their USMNT counterparts. Along with much of the world, the USMNT players expressed their deep support for their female counterparts throughout this litigation.
Experience
|August 31, 2022
Pursuant to the NFL–NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, Winston successfully represented NFLPA in a widely followed arbitration challenging the unprecedented discipline recommended by the NFL for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson—an indefinite suspension of no less than a full NFL season of 17 games. After a week-long evidentiary hearing, Judge Sue Robinson rejected the NFL’s proposed discipline and imposed a six-game suspension, which, as Winston argued, was the result required to achieve fair and consistent treatment. The NFL appealed. Ultimately, a settlement was reached for an 11-game suspension— far less than the NFL’s proposed discipline.
Insights & News 250 results
In the Media
|February 25, 2026
|1 Min Read
Andrew Hinkes Discusses Prediction Market Litigation and CFTC Authority with Bloomberg Law
Winston & Strawn partner Andrew Hinkes was quoted in a Bloomberg Law article discussing the regulation of prediction markets and the scope of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s authority. States argue that event contracts, which let traders wager on binary outcomes, are essentially gambling and subject to state gaming regulation, while the platforms contend they are swaps and thus fall under the CFTC’s federal “swap” rules. The CFTC filed an amicus brief in North American Derivatives Exchange Inc., v. The State of Nevada, an action currently pending In the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, arguing that event contracts are subject to the Commodities Exchange Act, and thus that state law on the same topic is pre-empted.
Article
|January 6, 2026
|2 Min Read
Piercing the Corporate Veil: A Case Study and Best Practices Checklist
This article was originally published in Corporate Compliance Insights. Any opinions in this article are not those of Winston & Strawn or its clients. The opinions in this article are the authors’ opinions only.
Press Release
|December 15, 2025
|4 Min Read
Professional Swimmers May Be Eligible for Money Damages From a Class Action Settlement
Winston & Strawn LLP, representing Thomas A. Shields, Katinka Hosszú, and plaintiff classes of professional swimmers, is pleased to announce that it has reached a settlement with World Aquatics to resolve the claims on behalf of professional swimmers in the case Shields et al. v. Federation Internationale De Natation, pending in the Northern District of California.
Other Results 14 results
Site Content
Loot boxes are randomized collections or boxes of virtual items, often made available for purchase with money. A player who purchases a loot box in a game does not know its contents until he or she opens the box, causing advocacy groups and government actors to liken loot boxes to games of chance, and to call for their regulation under gambling laws.
Site Content
The term digital media is frequently used to refer to products and services that provide information or entertainment in digital form, especially online via the Internet. Examples of digital media include online news sources, video games, blogs, and social media. The term may also be used to describe online content, especially content that is interactive; on-demand media that is accessible through a range of devices; and media that is responded to or shared in real time. It is sometimes used to refer to content that is created, published, or distributed by individuals or non-traditional publishers, such as bloggers.
Location
Winston & Strawn’s Miami office opened in 2022 and represents the firm’s largest expansion in several years. Located in the heart of the city’s Financial District, the office launched with a strong team of transactional and litigation partners from prestigious law firms operating in South Florida. Our Miami office leverages the area’s status as a critical nexus point for banking and international trade with the United States, Europe, Latin America, and other parts of the world. Our attorneys have the cultural fluency and local knowledge necessary to work seamlessly with international clients, particularly those with ties to Latin America.