Withers Bergman LLP

A prestigious deal that you can feel proud of… an opportunity to raise your profile… a lucrative chance to align with a brand you admire. Sponsorship agreements can be highly beneficial to both parties’ interests. But how do you find ‘The One’?

In our long experience of acting in sponsorship and endorsement deals, we have had the pleasure of uniting stars from the world of sport and entertainment with prestigious commercial brands whose values they share. We’ve also negotiated game-changing sponsorship for charities. Many of these relationships have lasted for years, but the fit needs to be right from the start.

The perfect partnership

Whichever side of the deal you are on, it’s important to find the right partner. For a company to sponsor a sports personality, they must have the right kind of reach; from the individual’s perspective, the brand needs to send the right message to their followers. Charities are governed by strict rules as to what they can accept and from whom.

Sometimes we are able to spot occasions when our clients’ interests align and connect them with each other. Or we act as trusted advisers, considering whether a sponsorship or endorsement deal is truly in your interests and what the details should be. From vetting contracts to negotiating on your behalf, we are there every step of the way.

Global presence

A key benefit of sponsorship deals is that they speak to people around the world, regardless of nationality or even language spoken. When our client Novak Djokovic wears the Lacoste crocodile logo on his tennis clothing, sales go up wherever his tournament is being shown. When England cricketers use a Slazenger bat, young players from London to Lahore remember it.

As a truly global law firm, we are well placed to offer joined-up international advice. And with significant experience in the field – having acted in deals like Emirates’ sponsorship of AC Milan, Intel’s groundbreaking agreement with the BMW Sauber F1 team and Nike’s sponsorship of an array of players and clubs in Europe – we can share our market knowledge with your existing advisors.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to enhancing diversity within the workplace.

We recognize and value the benefits that a diverse workforce can bring to the organization. Diversity is not limited to gender and ethnicity, and includes factors such as religion or belief, disability, age, marital status and sexual orientation. All our employees and Partners are responsible for the promotion and advancement of equality and diversity within the Firm.

Much of our work on diversity in the last three years has been about putting good monitoring tools in place to ensure that we understand where the gaps are within our workforce, making changes to our strategies and communicating our policy on equal opportunities and diversity to our staff and training those involved in managing and recruiting others.

Since 2002, Withers has experienced a period of growth. The expansion of our client base has highlighted our clients' need for a highly skilled and diverse workforce. The business need to support diversity is evident and Chris Priestley (a Partner in our Commercial group) has been nominated to ensure that Diversity is high on the partnership agenda.

Diversity Audit

In 2006 we undertook our first diversity audit of our workforce, monitoring age, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity and disability. New joiners are monitored on an ongoing basis. Our diversity statistics are published below.

Communication of our commitment to Diversity

Each year our staff are asked to acknowledge their understanding of and commitment to the Firm’s Equal Opportunities Policy as part of our annual audit.

Our Supervisors and Partners receive training to ensure they understand their obligations in implementing our equal opportunity policy in the workplace.

In addition, all interview panelists are trained in the Firm’s approach to diversity and given guidance on our structured skill based approach to interviewing.

Promotion and Access to Development

Opportunities for promotion are communicated and made available to all staff on a fair and equal basis. A skills framework is used in all promotion, appraisal, and pay discussions to ensure a consistent and fair approach across the Firm.

Selection of candiates for promotion to 'Of Counsel or Partner' status is undertaken by a panel of Withers Partners, whose selection decisions are based upon technical expertise and pre-defined partner competencies.

Training is made available to all staff and Partners in line with our business needs. Training needs are recognized formally via our appraisal process, which is objective and skill based, to ensure a fair and equal approach.

Recognition for Diversity

Withers was ranked 2nd (out of the top 100 law firms) for having a high percentage of female equity partners in The Lawyer Career Report Survey 2006.

Withers also ranked 2nd (out of the top 50 firms) for Diversity with respect to women and ranked 1st for Diversity with respect for Gay and Lesbians in the Vault survey 2006.

• New Haven, CT
  157 Church Street , P.O. Box 426
  New Haven, CT 06502
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