Rich Brand Featured in Law360 Special Report on Sports Industry Real Estate Deals

As part of the special report, Rich was heavily featured in the piece entitled “Sports Real Estate Has Special Allure For Attorneys,” on how he has shaped a sports practice which in many respects has a strong basis in real estate.  

In the article, it is noted that although Rich “grew up in New York, [he] doesn’t hesitate to say his two teams are the New York Knicks and the San Francisco Giants, for whom his daughter and son work, respectively.” He went on to say that he does in fact root for the teams he represents adding that in representing sports teams, he sees himself as part of the enterprise, in a way contributing to their successes. 

“When I see a client win a championship, I feel I have something to do with it,” he said. “I’m not the one who won the championship, but maybe I’m the one that ensured they had the revenue to sign the players they get.”

Rich noted that seeing the impact of the sports-related real estate work makes it “unbelievably exciting.”

The article went on to discuss the difference between a pure real estate deal and a sports transaction with real estate components. According to Rich, there are many similarities but with respect to the sports transaction with real estate components, “There’s a certain coolness to it.”

In discussing this further, Rich noted that in his sports drafting and negotiation  course he teaches at  Berkeley Law, he  draws an analogy between real estate and sports real estate  likening a sports venue to a shopping mall: “shopping malls, like stadiums, can have naming rights; the smaller buildings and businesses that make up the mall are akin to a sports facility’s concessions; instead of an anchor tenant like Nordstrom’s, the team anchors the facility; and instead of the ubiquitous mall food court, stadiums have concessions.” 

Rich also emphasized the benefits of having a strong real estate background in connection with his day-to-day sports work.

“People say if you want to be a sports lawyer you should start as a corporate lawyer. I strongly disagree — my real estate background is what made me a better sports lawyer.”

In addition to Rich being featured in the above, the ArentFox Schiff Sports Industry Group was prominently  featured in “The Top Firms Guiding Recent Sports Real Estate Deals,” In the article, the firm was mentioned for working for a number of Sports Industry Group clients on  sports and real estate related transactions,  including Chicago Fire FC (McDonalds Park), New York Red Bulls (Sports Illustrated Stadium), New York City FC (Etihad Park), Inter Miami CF (Nubank), Out of Office Ventures (Broomsedge Golf Club), and Tampa Bay Lightning) (Benchmark International Arena). 

ArentFox Schiff has one of the most experienced and diverse sports law practices in the country, which was recognized as a 2025 “Practice Group of the Year” by Law360 in the Sports & Betting category. The Sports Group regularly advises leagues, teams, venues, operators, sponsors, and brands across all major professional and collegiate sports throughout the United States and internationally, as well as purchasers and sellers of professional franchises and other sports properties. The group also represents some of the most well-known athletes, media companies, private equity firms, and sports agencies, on a broad array of sports-related engagements, encompassing both transactional and litigation matters.