Mary K. Braza

Mary K. Braza

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. She also works closely with league and Foley lawyers working on matters such as employment, taxation, technology and consulting agreements, licensing, trademark and antitrust litigation. In recent years she has:

· Counseled on relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington, D.C.

· Negotiated the settlement of claims by Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, concerning relocation of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club

· Assisted in league structure issues and provided legal counsel regarding contraction, bankruptcy and Club ownership

· 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, and she:

· 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 matters, including federal court litigation involving licensing of MLB marks and player information to fantasy sports league providers, and litigation with real networks over web casting of MLB games

Ms. Braza also works with clients on the acquisition of professional sports franchises.

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 John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL, where she teaches a course on Sports Law.

Ms. Braza is a member of the American Bar Association Forum on Sports and Entertainment, Sports Law Association and Women's Sports Foundation. She is a frequent speaker on sports-related legal topics. Ms. Braza is an adjunct professor at Marquette, teaching a sports law course and is a member of the Marquette National Sports Law Institute's Board of Advisors. She was named one of America's Leading Lawyers in the area of sports law by Chambers USA in 2006-2009. Ms. Braza was also selected for inclusion in the 2006 Wisconsin Super Lawyers® list for her general litigation work and is included in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of sports law.