Steered by Patrick Mitchell - regarded as a ‘leading lawyer for international sport and media deals’ - Latham & Watkins regularly advises on sponsorship, media rights and commercial deals involving football clubs, social media companies, broadcasters, as well as a number of high-value sponsors. The team, which includes vice-chair of the global M&A practice Edward Barnett and corporate practitioners Sam Newhouse and Farah O’Brien, is also known for its work on investments and M&A deals in the industry, regularly working with internationally renowned football clubs and rugby teams. Counsel Rachael Astin is a key figure for competition hosting arrangements and media rights acquisitions. Stewart Robinson is also recommended.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Patrick Mitchell provides excellent commercial advice on all aspects of sports agreements and ancillary/connected matters. The level of expertise and internationally joined up nature of the offering is first-rate compared to other firms.’

  • ‘Patrick Mitchell is a standout.’

  • ‘Patrick Mitchell is a leading lawyer for international sports and media deals. Tremendous knowledge of European football and sports projects. Team leader and accessible.’

  • 'Patrick Mitchell is a go-to for complex sporting or media matters.'

Key clients

  • DAZN
  • International Olympic Committee
  • Todd Boehly
  • Eldridge
  • Clearlake
  • Chelsea Football Club
  • Endeavor
  • IMG
  • Red Bull Racing Formula 1 Team
  • TeamViewer
  • Meta Platforms
  • Dapper Labs
  • Formula E
  • World Surf League
  • Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix
  • Unagi
  • Ultimate Champions
  • Saudi Arabian Football Federation
  • Silver Lake Capital Partners
  • CVC Capital
  • MSD UK Holdings
  • Fortress Investment Group
  • 888 Holdings
  • Goldman Sachs
  • HSBC
  • European Clubs Association
  • International Olympic Committee

Work highlights

  • Acted as the lead legal counsel to the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital on its £4.25 billion acquisition of Chelsea Football Club.
  • Advised Silver Lake on its investment into the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).
  • Advised Red Bull Racing Formula One Team on various of its premium sponsorship deals.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Patrick Mitchell

Other key lawyers

Ed Barnett, Rachel Astin, Farah O'Brien, Stewart Robinson