It was announced earlier this week that a super group of attorneys have formed a practice that will largely represent the rights of professional athletes. Michael Hausfeld and his firm Hausfeld LLP will work with Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP to form the yet to be named practice.
Michael Hausfeld’s body of work is extensive. His firm represented the Ed O’Bannon plaintiffs in the suit against the NCAA for improper use of college athletes’ names and likenesses. Boies, Schiller & Flexner also have experience with professional sports, representing NBA players against owners in an antitrust suit. Boies himself previously worked on the 2000 election re-count, representing Al Gore. This is not the first time the two firms have joined together, with both parties working on the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement last year.
This new company will handle cases such as licensing compensation, transfer issues and improper use of trademarks. The door is open for college athletes too, with both parties having experience with cases at their level.
“There is an entirely new world of athletes’ rights and/or athletes’ concerns which would be better served if there’s an entity they could come to that would answer their questions on a diversity of subjects,” Hausfeld said of the new venture.
The company is taking an international approach; Boies, Schiller & Flexner already have an office in the UK. This may prove beneficial with issues regarding to transfers in soccer. It’s a sport that sees more player movements than any other, which can lead to potential cases.