TOLEDO, OH — Shumaker is pleased to announce that the firm’s Sports Law Practice has been recognized among the Top 100 Law Firms with Sports Law Practices by Hackney Publications for 2023 in their third annual publication of “100 Law Firms with Sports Law Practices You Need to Know About.”
Hackney Publications is the nation’s leading publisher of sports law periodicals. The publication delivers valuable and important information about the legal side of the sports industry. It relies on readers, professors, and other industry experts in creating the Top 100 Law Firms with Sports Law Practices.
“Our team is an industry-leading team with a deep understanding of how the sports industry is evolving," said Bennett Speyer, Shumaker Partner and Hospitality, Leisure and Sports Business Sector Co-Chair. “They bring together different strengths and backgrounds, resulting in a robust team capable of handling a broad range of issues and working collaboratively across multiple disciplines to deliver world-class client service.”
Shumaker commits significant resources to the sports industry, and in the past year alone, added Lawyers Bob Boland and Michael Chapman to its Sports Law Practice, reinforcing the firm’s investigative capacity in sports for institution and National Governing Bodies (NGBs). Bob is the former Penn State Athletics Integrity Officer and a national thought-leader in the emerging field of name, image and likeness (NIL), and Michael is a former attorney in the compliance department of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, where he served as an advisor to NGBs.
Shumaker’s Sports Law Practice represents NCAA member institutions; conferences; NGBs; coaches, administrators, commissioners, and other sports executives; athletes; and university athletic departments. The scope of work on behalf of sports industry clients includes contract preparation and negotiation, crisis management, employment law, workplace investigations, policy development and review, employee and staff training, tax advice (including for nonprofits), deferred compensation, intellectual property (NIL), and litigation. The Sports Law Team has a wealth of experience and insight regarding external investigations, audits, and post-audit corrective actions to ensure compliance with the U.S. Center for SafeSport and other governing bodies.