Irwin P. Raij is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP and co-chair of the Sports Industry Team. He is also a member of the Government & Public Policy, Real Estate and Finance & Financial Institutions Practices. 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, and radio broadcast agreements. In connection with these matters, Mr. Raij has worked closely with professional sports leagues. His representative experience in the sports industry includes the following: · 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.
- Florida Marlins Ballpark - Acted as MLB's counsel in its successful efforts to facilitate the negotiation and approval of a new stadium for the Florida 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 operations. · 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 - Provides 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. 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. 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: · 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 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: · 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 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. 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. Recently, he became a member of The Jewish Federation of North America's National Young Leadership Cabinet. He also serves on the board of directors of Amigos for Kids®, a Florida nonprofit. 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 and Florida. (Also at Miami, Florida Office) |