Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner offers a strong sports practice, representing a wide array of sports governing bodies and teams on both contentious and transactional mandates. The team has extensive experience in the sponsorship space, advising on a variety of naming rights deals for clubs and multinational corporations. The practice is jointly led by Ryan Davis in St. Louis, who leads the group’s M&A and media rights work, and Steve Smith, who brings his experience to bear on a wide range of mandates concerning the Olympics and Paralympics. Richard Young is a recognized authority on anti-doping matters, while Suzanne Crespo has considerable experience in both litigation and arbitration proceedings. All lawyers mentioned are based in Colorado Springs unless otherwise stated.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: NPS ®
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The breadth and the depth of BCLP's expertise lends great support and value to our small non-profit operation. They provide a wide array of needed services, and each lawyer has considerable knowledge and experience in their area of specialty.’
‘The partner I work with most closely has strong listening skills, asks targeted follow-up questions, and presents clear and confident guidance.’
‘I am glad that they have experts in a variety of fields, I don't need to look elsewhere or get a different referral for help, they can simply loop-in another colleague within the same office. Their institutional knowledge is incredibly valuable; we don't experience employee turnover with Bryan Cave which allows for constant comfortability and confidence.’
‘Steve Smith and Suzanne Crespo work great as a team, have a friendly demeanor (which makes conversations comfortable), they are thorough in their work, and respect our questions or push-back while still maintaining their professional opinion.’
Key clients
- 31 National Hockey League Clubs
- Various MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NWSL Clubs and/or their owners
- National Football Foundation
- The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee
- NCAA
- Ladies' Professional Golf Association
- Big West Conference
- World Anti-Doping Agency
- Various Minor League Baseball Clubs
- Benchmark International
- Doordash
- USA Pickleball
Work highlights
Represented the NCAA in all of the concussion, CTE and other sports-injury claims in state and federal courts around the country in sports ranging from women’s lacrosse to American football.
Represent the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and more than 25 National Governing Bodies in many of their most significant matters.
Represented Sportradar in connection with their acquisition of XLMedia’s North America Business and their acquisition of IMG Arena.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Ryan Davis; Steve Smith
Other key lawyers
Richard Young; Christopher Schmidt; Douglas Mishkin; Suzanne Crespo; Jonathan Potts