Foley Practitioners Named “Power Players” By Sports Business Journal

Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that Jonathan Israel, Kevin Schulz, and Bobby Sharma were recognized by the Sports Business Journal as “Power Players” in the sports industry. Other members of Foley’s nationally recognized Sports & Entertainment Group – Bob DuPuy, Fred Ridley, Andy Lee, and Michael Wall – were also identified for their status and activity in the sports industry.

The Sports Business Journal’s “Power Players” list recognizes stellar outside counsel for their work with sport industry clients. To arrive at the list, the Sports Business Journal spoke to industry leaders, including league, team, property, sports betting, technology, esports and other sports industry stakeholders, for their thoughts on the law firms and lawyers who stand out in sports business representation. The highlighted firms are then categorized into one of five tiers based on the level of their representation. Firms, like Foley, are chosen for having established track records and leaders in sports law with strong client bases and wide scopes of influence.

Foley’s highly-decorated Sports & Entertainment Group is a multidisciplinary team that works across the firm’s national and global network of 25 offices and provides a full range of legal services designed specifically for the sports industry and its various stakeholders. Attorneys in Foley’s Sports & Entertainment Group have held high-profile positions at leading sports organizations, including Israel and Sharma at the National Basektball Association, DuPuy as Major League Baseball president and Chief Operating Officer, Ridley as Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, Lee as general counsel for the New York Jets, and Wall as Cheif Legal Officer for the Boston Bruins. Israel and Schulz were recognized for their recent work including multiple sponsorship and naming-rights deals for Enterprise Holdings; a salary arbitration win for the Milwaukee Brewers; construction and development work on Polar Park; and Non-Fungible Token launches for the Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz. Sharma’s recent work includes a focus on esports and soccer.

Additional background on the selected “Power Players”:

• Jonathan Israel is a partner, sports and labor/employment attorney and co-chair of the Sports & Entertainment Group at Foley where he advises and litigates for clients on a variety of labor and general employment and corporate matters. He practices in industries including professional and collegiate sports, esports, entertainment, media, financial services, hedge and private equity funds, transportation, and retail.
• Kevin Schulz is a partner, business lawyer, and co-chair of the Sports & Entertainment Group at Foley where he represents buyers and sellers, both domestically and internationally, in mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, internal reorganizations, joint ventures, and other strategic alliances in a variety of industries, including professional sports, health care, food and beverage, consumer products, industrial equipment, manufacturing, and consulting services.
• Bobby Sharma is a special adviser to the Sports & Entertainment Group at Foley where he provides services to organizations, teams, leagues, and other stakeholders across all professional and amateur sports on a range of subjects, such as league development and governance, team sales and acquisitions, media, sponsorship, licensing, data use and privacy, and technology.

About Foley & Lardner LLP

Foley & Lardner LLP looks beyond the law to focus on the constantly evolving demands facing our clients and their industries. With approximately 1,100 lawyers in 25 offices across the United States, Mexico, Europe and Asia, Foley approaches client service by first understanding our clients’ priorities, objectives and challenges. We work hard to understand our clients’ issues and forge long-term relationships with them to help achieve successful outcomes and solve their legal issues through practical business advice and cutting-edge legal insight. Our clients view us as trusted business advisors because we understand that great legal service is only valuable if it is relevant, practical and beneficial to their businesses.