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Careers in sports generate enormous public interest, but the legal work that supports professional and collegiate athletics is often less visible. Behind the scenes, lawyers are advising leagues and teams on governance issues, antitrust disputes, employment litigation, internal investigations, and crisis management—work that looks very much like high‑stakes litigation in any other industry, with the added complexity of operating under constant public scrutiny.
At Paul, Weiss, the sports law practice is intentionally multidisciplinary. Sports‑related matters draw on the firm’s litigation, antitrust, investigations, and corporate practices, as well as decades‑long relationships with leagues and teams. Lawyers across the firm work together depending on what a particular matter requires.
That work has included advising professional sports leagues such as the National Football League, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball on some of their most sensitive disputes; representing professional teams and collegiate athletic departments in high-profile investigations; and defending against antitrust claims that raise fundamental questions about how sports organizations are structured and governed.
To understand what this work looks like in practice—and what law students and junior lawyers can realistically expect—we spoke with Brette Tannenbaum, an antitrust litigation partner whose career has combined complex commercial litigation with some of the most closely watched matters in the sports world. For junior lawyers, the takeaway is straightforward: focus on becoming an excellent litigator first. The opportunities will follow.
Sports litigation starts with real litigation
One of the most important things for law students to understand is that sports litigation is, first and foremost, litigation. The legal skills required are the same ones that define top-tier trial practices across industries: careful legal analysis, strong writing, excellent judgment and discretion, and the ability to think strategically throughout the duration of a case.
“Sports matters aren’t limited to a particular area of law,” Brette explains. “They involve the same kinds of claims you see in other industries—antitrust, employment, IP, commercial disputes—but in a high-profile, high-visibility context with multiple stakeholders.”
That visibility adds complexity. Sports organizations operate in the public eye, and legal disputes can quickly become headline news. Decisions made in court filings or internal investigations can affect not only the client’s legal exposure but also public trust in the integrity of the sport itself. As Brette explains, “Paul, Weiss’s sports representations draw on the firm’s broad litigation experience and crisis management expertise.”
High-profile matters, substantive legal issues
Sports litigation frequently raises novel legal questions, particularly in antitrust. Professional leagues are associations of independently owned teams that operate separately under shared rules. Those structures are essential to maintaining a viable league, but they can also become targets for challenge by competitors, licensees, or employees.
Brette’s antitrust background has naturally intersected with that work. Early in her career, she was assigned to large antitrust class actions that ran from the filing of a complaint through expert discovery, dispositive motions, and, in several instances, trial. That experience now informs her work on sports-related antitrust disputes.
Employment disputes also feature prominently in sports litigation. Hiring practices, arbitration provisions, and internal disciplinary frameworks can become the subject of litigation with broader implications beyond any single team. In these matters, litigators must closely analyze governing documents, employment agreements, and league rules, while coordinating with employment specialists and client leadership.
Investigations are another major component of Paul, Weiss’s sports practice. Teams and leagues periodically require independent reviews of internal practices, player vetting procedures, or alleged misconduct. These matters tend to move quickly and attract immediate, ongoing public attention. The legal work involves gathering facts, reviewing large volumes of documents, interviewing witnesses, and presenting findings in a way that is accurate and credible.
“Unlike most sports litigations, sports-related internal investigations often present the opportunity to craft a bespoke resolution in collaboration with our clients,” Brette explains. “That, too, requires a deep understanding of the client and all relevant stakeholders—including the press and the fans—as well as an ability to think creatively and strategically about how to satisfy each of those constituencies.”
Across these representations, the legal issues are complex on their own terms. The sports context heightens the stakes, but it does not replace the need for rigorous lawyering, discretion, and sound judgment.
Why the firm’s model matters
Paul, Weiss’s approach to sports litigation mirrors how the firm handles complex matters more generally. While the firm has a dedicated sports practice, matters are staffed collaboratively, with teams built around the legal problem at hand.
A sports-related matter might involve general commercial litigators alongside antitrust, employment, or investigations specialists. In many cases, corporate partners are also involved, reflecting the reality that disputes, transactions, and governance issues often intersect for leagues and teams. The composition of the lawyer team changes depending on what the client needs, not on the industry label attached to the case.
“That’s one of the reasons these relationships endure,” Brette says. “Our clients trust that they’re working alongside lawyers who are experts in the relevant area of law and who also understand the business and institutional realities of their organization.”
Over time, that combination allows litigators to anticipate issues that go beyond the immediate dispute. How might a litigation strategy affect league governance? How could language in a public filing be interpreted by players, fans, or media partners? How does an investigation’s outcome inform future policies? Those questions are woven into Paul, Weiss’s legal analysis from the start.
What junior lawyers at Paul, Weiss actually do
For law students interested in sports litigation, it’s helpful to think of sports work as something that grows out of a strong foundation in litigation, rather than a separate track. Because sports is a multidisciplinary practice, junior lawyers who develop core skills early on are best positioned to contribute to sports‑related matters over time.
In practice, that means summer associates and first‑year lawyers at Paul, Weiss focus on building the fundamentals that apply across complex disputes, including researching challenging legal questions, drafting memoranda and briefs, and working with senior lawyers to advance case strategy. On sports matters, those assignments might include analyzing league constitutions and bylaws, reviewing arbitration or venue provisions, or digging into precedent that shapes how leagues and teams operate, then presenting that analysis clearly to the broader team. Because sports cases are often fast-moving and public-facing, junior team members often are asked to track developments and monitor public statements and press coverage so that clients are not caught off guard. On leanly staffed teams, those contributions matter.
Exposure is another hallmark of the practice. Depending on timing, summer associates may have the opportunity to attend witness interviews, depositions, hearings, or arguments. Some have observed arbitration proceedings or trial-related work. At Paul, Weiss, summer associates are often integrated into litigation teams for the duration of the program, rather than rotating through isolated assignments, so that their experience mirrors that of a junior litigation associate as closely as possible.
Skills that matter in sports litigation
The qualities that make a strong sports litigator are the same ones that define strong litigators generally. Attention to detail matters; so does the ability to manage multiple workstreams without losing sight of the bigger picture.
Antitrust work, in particular, rewards intellectual curiosity. Cases often involve economic analysis, expert testimony, and unsettled areas of law. Lawyers must be comfortable thinking creatively and adapting their arguments as the case evolves.
Client service is another throughline. Sports organizations face constant scrutiny, and their legal advisers must be responsive, thoughtful, and prepared. At Paul, Weiss, that emphasis on client service is deeply ingrained across practices.
One expectation Brette emphasizes repeatedly is maturity. Sports litigation often involves highly sensitive information; lawyers may learn details that are not public and never will be.
“Confidentiality is everything,” she says. “Being able to handle that responsibility early in your career is essential.”
In an industry where many lawyers are also fans, professionalism means resisting the urge to trade on proximity or access. Judgment and discretion are as important as technical skill.
Why sports litigation remains dynamic
The legal landscape surrounding sports continues to evolve. Issues like the legality and regulation of prediction markets, private investment in teams, the legal status of collegiate athletes, and name, image and likeness (NIL) rules are raising new legal questions, many of them grounded in antitrust and regulatory law.
For litigators working on sports matters, this means continued opportunities to engage with complex, high-impact disputes in a highly visible industry. For law students, it underscores that sports litigation is not a niche practice but an area where sophisticated legal work intersects with broader competitive and cultural forces.
Final thoughts for law students
For law students interested in litigation, sports-related matters at Paul, Weiss offer a clear view into how complex legal disputes play out in a highly visible industry. The work is demanding, fast-moving, and often sensitive, but at its core it is grounded in the same skills that define top-tier litigation everywhere: careful analysis, sound judgment, and disciplined execution.
Because the firm’s sports practice draws on lawyers across multiple disciplines, there is no single, linear path into sports work. Junior lawyers build their careers by developing strong litigation fundamentals and earning trust on their matters. Over time, that work may include disputes and investigations involving leagues or teams, particularly where antitrust, employment, or governance issues are in play.
The takeaway for aspiring sports litigators is simple: focus on becoming an excellent lawyer, take responsibility seriously, and approach each assignment with care. In an industry as public as sports, those qualities matter even more, and are what ultimately make this work both challenging and rewarding.
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