Recognitions
Winston & Strawn Named Sports Group of the Year by Law360
Recognitions
Winston & Strawn Named Sports Group of the Year by Law360
February 8, 2018
Winston & Strawn secured a spot on Law360’s 2017 Sports Practice Groups of the Year list. Practice highlights from 2017 include the firm’s representation of Ezekiel Elliott in his fight to dodge a six-game suspension from the NFL and the North American Soccer League (NASL) in its antitrust battle against the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Winston’s Co-Executive Chairman Jeffrey Kessler describes the practice as a “boutique specialized group” with 17-25 attorneys and a crucial area of focus for the firm.
“We work on extremely high-profile matters but by numbers we are a relatively small piece of the entire firm,” Kessler says. “The firm makes it a priority because of the high visibility work we do and the influence we can have on this particular business.”
Kessler adds that the practice is on a growth path domestically, especially in light of an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a federal sports betting ban, as well as internationally.
“We have been particularly representative of those who have been wronged by established sports institutions and established leagues [and] those who are striving for their fair treatment,” David Greenspan, chair of Winston’s college sports sub-practice says. “Whether it’s a new entrant in a league or players in the various sports or league sponsors in others, that’s really been the hallmark of our practice.”
In September 2017, Winston filed the North American Soccer League’s suit accusing the U.S. Soccer Federation of playing favorites by revoking the NASL’s D-II status. NASL was initially denied a preliminary injunction in New York federal court that would have restored its D-II designation, and the issue has been appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Winston Sports Practice Co-Chair David Feher explains that the case goes to the heart of how professional soccer leagues will be structured in the U.S. versus the rest of the world.
Winston’s Sports Practice is versatile, handling not only litigation, but also deal financing, team acquisitions, and collective bargaining for, among other player unions, the National Basketball Players Associaton.
“[Our] bread and butter has always been work for players,” Greenspan notes. “We’re often anti-establishment, but 100 percent never adverse to player or player issues.”
Winston’s Sports Practice was also named to Law360’s 2015 Sports Group of the Year list.