Mary K. Braza, partner, is a member of the firm's management committee and chair of the Sports Industry Team. Ms. Braza serves as outside counsel to Major League Baseball in a wide variety of issues including strategic planning, employment, taxation, technology and consulting agreements, licensing, trademark and antitrust litigation. Ms. Braza works closely with a number of professional sports teams, including the Chicago Cubs, the San Diego Padres, the Texas Rangers and the Milwaukee Brewers. She is a trial lawyer by training, but since the mid-1990's has been involved in a number of transactions involving the sports industry. In recent years she has:
· Represented the successful bidders for the Texas Rangers Baseball Club in 2010, leading a team of lawyers in a $590 million transaction that was ultimately concluded in an auction for the team in a bankruptcy court.
· Represented the Texas Rangers ownership in negotiations for a 25-year extension of a broadcasting agreement and partnership with Fox in a Texas regional sports network, reported in the press as worth $1.6 billion.
· Represented the San Diego Padres ownership in negotiations for a 25-year extension of a broadcasting agreement and partnership with Fox in a San Diego-based regional sports network.
· Represented the successful bidders for the Chicago Cubs in 2009, leading a team of lawyers in an $845 million deal, then reported to be the biggest purchase price paid for a Major League Baseball team.
· Represented the Chicago Cubs in 2009 in negotiations for an extension of a broadcasting agreement with WGN.
· Represented an estate in the sale of a 30% interest in a National Football League franchise in 2011.
· Represented the Washington Nationals Baseball Club in negotiations for a broadcasting agreement and partnership with the Baltimore Orioles in the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.
· Counseled on relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C. and negotiated the successful settlement of a dispute concerning public funding for the Washington Nationals Ballpark.
· Negotiated the settlement of claims by Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, concerning relocation of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club
· Represented Major League Baseball and its Commissioner in a range of litigation matters, including Baseball's successful assertion of the antitrust exemption in relation to the proposed contraction of the League, the voluntary dismissal of a federal court RICO lawsuit brought by former owners of the Montreal Expos Baseball Club, the court-ordered dismissal of a tortious interference claim by Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic involving licensing of Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals telecast rights, the dismissal of a ticket holder class action relating to the 2002 All-Star Game, and settlement of insurance coverage litigation on behalf of the Clubs
Ms. Braza was involved in Major League Baseball's successful consolidation of League and Club interactive media rights and the formation of MLB Advanced Media, L.P. She continues to counsel MLBAM on issues related to Baseball's interactive media business. She oversees a team of Foley lawyers working with MLBAM to grow its interactive media business and represents MLBAM in litigation:
· Represented MLBAM in federal court litigation involving rights of publicity and First Amendment challenges to a licensing program for use of player information on fantasy sports websites.
· Represented MLBAM in the litigation and settlement of a patent dispute involving real time simulations of baseball games.
· Represented MLBAM in its successful tender offer for tickets.com, a leading business-to-business ticketing solutions provider for baseball and other live events worldwide.
· Represented MLBAM in litigation with RealNetworks over web casting of MLB games.
In addition to her sports practice, Ms. Braza has extensive experience in litigating commercial disputes in federal and state courts, involving such areas as environmental law, bankruptcy, distribution, insurance coverage, reinsurance and health care.
Ms. Braza received her bachelor's degree (1978) and her J.D. degree (magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, 1981) from Cornell University, where she was note editor for the Cornell International Law Journal. She is a member of the Wisconsin Bar, and is admitted to practice in many federal district and appellate courts. Ms. Braza is an instructor at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and has lectured on a variety of trial-related topics. Since 2006, she has served as an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School and John Marshall Law School, where she teaches a course on Sports Law.
Ms. Braza is a member of the Marquette National Sports Law Institute's Board of Advisors. She is also a member of the American Bar Association Forum on Sports and Entertainment, Sports Law Association and Women's Sports Foundation. Ms. Braza is a frequent speaker on sports-related legal topics.
Ms. Braza has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system and in 2010, the Legal 500 recognized her for her work in sports law. She was also named one of America's Leading Lawyers in the area of sports law by Chambers USA in 2006-2011. Ms. Braza is included in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of sports law.
Ms. Braza is married to a lawyer and is the proud mother of two daughters, ages twenty-six and twenty-two. She focuses her charitable efforts on issues involving mental illness, serving as a member of the board of The Grand Avenue Club, and poverty and hunger, serving as the founder and member of Foley's K's for a Cause program.