Irwin P. Raij is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP and co-chair of the Sports Industry Team. He maintains offices in New York, Miami and Washington, D.C.
Mr. Raij is a consensus builder with experience successfully negotiating complex public private partnerships.
Mr. Raij has extensive experience in the sports industry, where he has represented and counseled a number of clients (including a professional sports league, professional sports teams, owners and acquirers of professional sports teams). He advises sports clients in connection with a variety of new stadium development projects, construction agreements, new and interim lease agreements, acquisition of professional sports franchises, strategic counsel, commercial matters, including licensing arrangements, promotional and advertising agreements, ticketing arrangements, merchandising agreements, stadium service agreements, RSN formation, and television, radio and media rights agreements.
His representative experience in the sports industry includes the following:
- Los Angeles Dodgers – Represented Guggenheim Baseball Management (the ownership group for the Los Angeles Dodgers) in the formation of American Media Productions, LLC (AMP) which will launch a new regional sports network called SportsNet LA and the related media agreement between the Dodgers and AMP to granting AMP the rights to air Dodger games.
- State of New York – Represented Governor Andrew Cuomo and the State of New York in efforts to keep the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo and to determine the appropriate redevelopment of the Bills’ stadium which is more than 40 years old.
- Los Angeles Dodgers – Led the team that represented Guggenheim Baseball Management (headed by Mark Walter, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Stan Kasten, the former president of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, among others) in the acquisition of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the single largest transaction ever for a professional sports franchise.
- Las Vegas National Sports Center LLC – Representation regarding strategic planning for development of an arena for professional sports in Las Vegas. In addition, representation related to the potential acquisition of a sports franchise.
- Major League Baseball (MLB)
- Oakland A’s Ballpark Committee – Appointed by MLB Commissioner, Bud Selig, to serve on a three person committee to determine feasibility of developing a new stadium for the Oakland A's in Northern California.
- Miami Marlins Ballpark – Acted as MLB‘s counsel in its successful efforts to facilitate the negotiation and approval of a new stadium for the Miami Marlins.
- Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals – Represented MLB in the relocation of the Montreal Expos, now the Washington Nationals, to Washington, D.C. This work included negotiating and drafting interim lease agreement, the baseball stadium agreement for the new ballpark, the new stadium lease, the construction administration agreement and following the relocation to Washington, the legal work related to the team’s operation.
- Texas Rangers – Represented Rangers Baseball Express (the investment group led by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan) in its acquisition of the Texas Rangers, a long and complex transaction that culminated in the sale of the club through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction.
- Miami Dolphins – Provided legal and strategic counsel related to potential development and improvements at and around SunLife Stadium.
- Washington Nationals – Following the sale of the Team by MLB to the Lerner family, represented the Team in all matters related to the construction of the new (over $600M) ballpark, including the implementation of the construction administration agreement and issues related to the transition to the new ballpark. Mr. Raij continues to provide counsel to the team.
- Sacramento Kings – Served as member of the Sacramento First Task Force, a 12-member team comprised of professional consultants, to assist the City with evaluating options for a new entertainment and sports complex in Sacramento.
In 2011, Mr. Raij was named to the Sports Business Journal/Daily Forty Under 40 list and was also recognized by the Washingtonian in their list of Washington’s Best Lawyers. His other recognitions include:
- Selected for inclusion in the 2013 Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers® list for work in entertainment & sports
- Recognized by the Legal 500 for work in sports law in 2010
- Named a 2009 Young Guns Top Washington Lawyer by the Washington Business Journal
- Named the 2008 Young Alumnus of the Year by the Washington University School of Law
- Washington Lawyer magazine highlighted Mr. Raij’s work on the Washington Nationals deal in the cover story of its November issue in 2007
- Recipient of the 2004 American Marshall Memorial Fellowship
- Named a 2003 finalist by the South Florida Business Journal as an "Up and Comer" in South Florida’s legal community
- 2001 recipient of the "Spotlight of Achievers" award from the Latin Auxiliary of the Jewish Home of Miami
Mr. Raij co-authored the article, “How ADA Compliance Affects a Venue’s Capital Improvement Plan,” that appeared in the May 21, 2012 edition of the SportsBusiness Journal and "How a Stadium, Surrounding Area Can Boost a Team's Revenue," that appeared in the June 6, 2011 edition of the SportsBusiness Journal. His recent speaking engagements include:
- New York Law School’s Fourth Annual Sports Law Symposium, “Bankruptcy Issues in Sports,” February 2013
- Sports Facilities of the 21st Century: Case Studies & Lessons Learned in Modern Sports Facility Construction, November 2012
- 2011 Penn Institute for Urban Research Roundtable on Anchor Institutions, "Ballparks as Urban Anchors," December 2011
- Minor League Baseball Bob Freitas Business Seminar, "Stadium Finance and Ancillary Development: Understanding Your Surroundings and the Impact on the Fan Experience and Revenue Streams," December 2011
- University of Maryland School of Law Symposium, "Intersection of Sports and Business in Today’s Legal Arena," October 2011
- National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Fall 2009 Conference," The Evolution of Sports Law and Business From the 20th to the 21st Century"
- National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Fall 2008 Conference" Professional Sports: Current Issues and Their Future Implications"
Mr. Raij also has significant experience in matters involving economic development, housing, campaign finance and government ethics.
Before joining Foley, Mr. Raij served as assistant counsel to the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign, with responsibility for compliance with Federal Election Commission regulations, drafting committee contracts and leases, conducting research and providing other legal guidance. Mr. Raij previously served as an attorney in the White House Office of Counsel to the President and later as associate counsel in the White House Office of Counsel to the Vice President. Mr. Raij assisted in the defense of the vice president and the administration in congressional and Department of Justice investigations.
Mr. Raij began his career as an attorney advisor for the Department of Housing & Urban Development, and returned to this Department to serve as special assistant in the office of the general counsel and as acting managing attorney for the FOIA Department.
Mr. Raij is a past president of the University of Miami D.C. Alumni Association, served on the National Alumni Association Board of the University of Miami, and is a member of Iron Arrow. In 2010, he was appointed to the Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center board of directors and is a member of The Jewish Federation of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet. Mr. Raij has been active in the Greater Washington Jewish Federation, including chairing a mission to Moscow in 2009, and in June 2011 he was appointed to their board of directors. He also served on the board of directors of Amigos for Kids®, a Florida nonprofit. In 2012 Mr. Raij was appointed to the Israel Bonds New Leadership Division Board.
Mr. Raij grew up in Miami-Dade County and remains a member of the Cuban Hebrew Congregation.
Mr. Raij received his J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Mo. and a B.B.A. from the University of Miami. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Florida, and New York.