OCTOBER 25, 2011 – NEW YORK – Arent Fox is pleased to announce that leading sports attorney Matthew D. Pace has joined the firm as a partner in New York.

Mr. Pace is a veteran of the sports industry with more than 20 years of professional experience working for and representing some of the biggest names in the sports industry. Matthew brings hands-on industry experience to the table and focuses on a broad range of sports business matters, including team acquisitions and sales, sponsorship, licensing and promotional agreements, joint venture activities and digital rights and other sports media issues.

Mr. Pace represents sports leagues and teams, sponsors and properties, sports technology companies, investors, licensees and licensors and sports marketing and promotions agencies. His clients have included the Garmin Cervelo Pro Cycling Team, Legend 10, Ultimate Fighting Championship, Northern Lights Hockey, New York Jets, New York Cosmos, Sports Technologies, LLC, NYSE Euronext, Northeast Sports Consultants, Branded Retail Energy Company, Kaleidoscope Sports and Entertainment and Palm Beach International Raceway.

“We are extremely excited that Matt has joined Arent Fox,” said Rich Brand, who heads the firm’s sports practice and is based in the firm’s Washington, DC office. “Matt’s diverse practice will enable our already considerable sports practice to expand into new areas of sports law and, at the same time, add depth to our existing core strengths. With Matt joining Jared Bartie in our New York office and Maidie Oliveau’s highly regarded sports practice in our Los Angeles office, as well as our substantial sports practice in our Washington, DC office, Arent Fox has one of the most experienced, dynamic national sports practices in the United States.”

Prior to joining Arent Fox, Mr. Pace was the Executive Director of Major League Lacrosse; the Executive Vice President of Business Development and General Counsel for GM EventWorks, a company responsible for managing the sports and entertainment alliances for General Motors; a player agent, a business development and partnership consultant to national retailers and marketing companies as well as counsel at a New York law firm.

Mr. Pace serves as co-chair of the sports section of the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law (EASL) section of the New York State Bar Association. He is a graduate of the Emory University School of Law and he earned his undergraduate degree from Trinity College.

About Arent Fox’s Sports Practice
Arent Fox’s Sports Practice is one of the most experienced in the United States. Our attorneys have extensive knowledge in sports sales and acquisitions, stadium/arena developments, sports naming/sponsorship rights, and media rights. We regularly advise clients on labor and employment contracts for players, coaches and sports team executives. Our team is active in almost all of the major professional sports and our attorneys have served as counsel to various professional teams, including the Washington Wizards, the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Jersey Nets, the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Bobcats, the New York Jets, the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Los Angeles Kings, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Washington Capitals, the Washington Mystics, and DC United. We also have represented numerous purchasers and sellers of professional teams and events. In addition, we have advised clients on both sides of major naming rights transactions, including transactions with respect to the Barclays Center, Time Warner Cable Arena, AT&T Park, and PPL Park.

For more information about Arent Fox’s Sports Law Practice, please contact:

Richard L. Brand
Washington, DC
rbrand@arentfox.com
202.857.6427

Maidie E. Oliveau
Los Angeles, CA
oliveau.maidie@arentfox.com
213.443.7553

Matthew D. Pace
New York, NY
pace.matthew@arentfox.com
212.484.3954

Jared F. Bartie
New York, NY
bartie.jared@arentfox.com
212.492.3303