Carlton Fields

Carlton Fields attorneys know sports. Our attorneys draw on in-depth industry experience. The sports practice includes:

• A former general counsel for Minor League Baseball/former Major League baseball player
• A former officer and general counsel of a major sports organization
• A former athlete agent for the NFL
• Former collegiate football and baseball players
• A former collegiate coach
• The current president of a professional sports league

Our sports practitioners regularly advise clients in the sale and acquisition of professional sports franchises, the construction of stadiums and arenas, the governance of sports leagues, the licensing of sports properties, and the resolution of disputes.

LEGAL SERVICES & EXPERIENCE

Carlton Fields' experienced attorneys provide skilled representation to address all of the legal needs of our sports industry clients. Attorneys assist clients in the following areas of law:

• Corporate, domestic, and international tax
• Wealth and asset preservation
• Labor and employment
• Real estate
• Finance
• Litigation, arbitration, mediation, and dispute resolution
• Zoning and land use

Attorneys have represented clients in a wide variety of sports-related matters, including:

• Sports franchise sales and acquisitions
• Stadium and arena construction
• League formation and governance
• Stadium leasing and management
• Franchise relocation and territorial rights
• Ownership structuring
• Licensing, merchandizing, and protecting sports properties
• Public offerings for sale of securities
• Player contracts, endorsements, and sponsorships
• Marketing and promotions
• Concessions and business operations
• Naming rights and advertising
• Television, radio, and media rights

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS/INDUSTRIES

• Professional athletes
• Professional and amateur clubs
• Professional and amateur leagues
• Sports venues
• Owners
• Coaches
• Colleges and universities
• Marketing and promotional companies and agencies

SELECT REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Advised on governance matters regarding Minor League Baseball league
• Represented both major and minor league clients in transactional matters including franchise acquisitions and disposition
• Prosecuted a franchise relocation application with sports authorities
• Resolved territorial rights issues
• Negotiated licensing and merchandising agreements
• Drafted league constitutions and by-laws
• Structured, drafted, and negotiated agreements for development, construction, management, lease, and use of sports facilities and venues
• Represented clients before governmental authorities to secure facility rights and incentives
• Drafted and negotiated agreements with governmental, regulatory, and supervisory agencies and bodies
• Represented Major and Minor League franchise and leagues in regulatory and operational matters

Carlton Fields' goal is to recruit, retain and promote attorneys of all races, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientation. Carlton Fields is equally committed to promoting a supportive, friendly work environment for all employees. We strive to create a climate of inclusion, grow our talent pool, foster innovation and creativity to compete in the global market, and to become the employer of choice for a diverse group attorneys and staff. We promote a work place that supports one's ability to balance one's professional and personal life.

Carlton Fields' commitment to fostering an environment of inclusion has resulted in forward thinking programs and initiatives including diversity training, mentoring, affinity groups, and fellowship and scholarship programs. The increasing number of minority and women lawyers who hold leadership positions in the firm reflects the value the firm places on diversity and the success of the initiatives implemented by Carlton Fields.

Initiatives

• The firm's diversity program was created in 2001 to further the firm's efforts to increase representation of minority lawyers in the firm, develop policies and practices that define and transmit the firm's commitment to diversity, and establish accountability standards and measure progress. 
    
• A component of Carlton Fields' Diversity Program is the formation of affinity groups that were created to promote diversity within the firm and to provide a forum for individuals with common cultures and interests. The affinity groups meet regularly and promote social and professional development and assistance in identifying outside organizations that can facilitate career development and networking opportunities. In addition, the networks have designated pro bono projects on which the groups' members work together. The firm currently has three affinity networks: Minority Lawyer Network, Women's Initiative Network, and Gay and Lesbian Equality Network. 
   
• Carlton Fields proactively recruits minority students at law school job fairs and law schools with diverse student populations. 
   
• Carlton Fields co-sponsors events and provides scholarship funds for students selected by the George Edgecomb Bar Association, the Tampa chapter of the National Bar Association, and the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Association in Miami-Dade County. 
   
• A number of our attorneys are members of the Cuban American Bar Association (CABA) and participate in judicial and legislative receptions, and we sponsor some of the association's major events. 
   
• Numerous firm attorneys participate in the Young Lawyers Division and Florida Bar Mentoring programs. 
   
• Carlton Fields awards two first-year law students $5,000 one-time payment scholarships and a place in the firm's summer associate program. One recipient is selected from a Florida school, and the other recipient is a first-year law student from a national law school.  
   
• Carlton Fields participates in and donates scholarship funds to the Professional Opportunities Program (POP), developed to provide black law students with summer internship and associate program opportunities in Florida. 
   
• Carlton Fields offers alternative work schedule programs to associates and shareholders.
   
• Shareholder Sylvia Walbolt served as Chair of the firm's Board of Directors for seven years (1999-2006). She was recognized by The National Law Journal as one of the nation's Top 10 Women Litigators. 
   
• Shareholder Edith Osman is a Past President of The Florida Bar. She was the second woman to be elected to The Florida Bar's top position in its 50-plus year history. Shareholder Gwynne Young is the 2012 President-Elect of The Florida Bar.
   
• Women or minorities lead six of our firm-wide practice groups. 
   
• Four of the seven senior firm-wide Directors are women, and the firm's Chief Operating Officer is an openly gay woman. 
   
• Carlton Fields offers domestic partner insurance benefits, and health care benefits for eligible medical expenses related to gender reassignment surgery and services.
  
  Awards and Commendations
   
• Carlton Fields received a perfect score (a 100 percent rating) on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 2012 Corporate Equality Index (for the third consecutive year)
   
• Carlton Fields is the only firm in the country to be ranked #1 in Overall Diversity, Diversity for Women, and Diversity for Minorities for three consecutive years by The Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms
   
• Carlton Fields is recognized by the American Lawyer and National Law Journal as a Top 40 firm for diversity (2011)
  
• Carlton Fields is listed among the Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity in MultiCultural Law 
   
• Carlton Fields has ranked among the top 50 firms in the country since 2002 on the Minority Law Journal Diversity Scorecard 
   
• Diversity Best Practices recognized Carlton Fields' President and CEO Gary Sasso as one of the winners of the prestigious 2008 CEO Diversity Leadership Award   

You are  invited to learn more about our commitment to diversity by visiting: ttp://www.carltonfields.com/aboutus/diversity/