A preeminent litigator and trial lawyer, Brad Ruskin is a senior partner at Proskauer and co-chairs its Sports Law Group. He has served as co-chair of the Litigation Department and has been the Firm’s longest serving member on its worldwide Executive Committee.
Brad has tried a significant number of high stakes, headline-making cases to verdict or appellate victory, on issues ranging from so-called “bet-the company” antitrust challenges to questions of first impression under Delaware Corporate law, to complex commercial disputes.
Sports Business:
As co-chair of Proskauer’s renowned Sports Law Group, a significant portion of Brad's practice is dedicated to litigating issues and counseling clients active in the sports business. The Sports Law Group has been recognized as the country’s top sports law group at the Chambers USA Awards for Excellence ceremony and as a “Tier 1” practice in numerous leading legal publications. He has represented virtually every sports and conference league, including Major League Soccer, the National Hockey League, National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, ATP Tour, WTA, WSL, PAC-12 and the Big East Conference. In addition, Brad has represented ownership groups and clubs across major U.S. sports, including the Washington Nationals, the Miami Marlins, the New York Jets, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Jersey Devils, as well as media companies in sports-related disputes.
Technology, Media and Telecommunications:
Brad represents numerous technology, media and telecommunications companies in a wide variety of litigated disputes, including partnership issues, communications and copyright law issues, bankruptcy disputes, data breaches, contract rights and complex class actions. He has represented a diverse set of clients including T-Mobile USA, Tech Mahindra, ML Media Partners, Madonna, the RP Media Companies and the Rascoff/Zysblat Organization.
Antitrust and General Commercial Disputes:
Brad regularly defends clients in major antitrust and complex commercial cases. In the antitrust arena, he has litigated cases across myriad industries. In addition to literally a score of sports matters, he has represented companies such as Weyerhaeuser, Sanofi, Henry Schein and Lupin. In one precedent setting case, Brad secured a full defense verdict after a multi-week jury trial on behalf of the ATP Tour (the men's professional tennis circuit), subsequently argued and won the case on appeal before the Third Circuit, and finally argued and won an issue of first impression under Delaware corporate law before the Delaware Supreme Court.
Brad also regularly handles a wide range of litigation matters, including contract, fraud, licensing, trademark, franchising, partnership, intra-corporate, real estate, bankruptcy, unfair competition, and other commercial disputes. He has litigated matters throughout the country before both state and federal courts, as well as in domestic and international arbitral forums. Brad has also handled proceedings (along with foreign co-counsel) before the European Commission and the Office of Fair Trading.
Throughout his decades long career, Brad has been a leader in a wide array of public service activities. He currently serves as a Member of the Executive Committee and Vice Chair of the Legal Aid Society, the Chairperson of the Board of the Student Leadership Network (and recipient of its “The Man We Love Award”), a Member of the ADL Sports Leadership Council, and a Member of the Jewish Theological Society’s Advisory Board (and recipient of its Simon Rifkind Award). In addition, Brad frequently publishes articles, has taught a graduate school class at NYU's Tisch School and has testified before legislative and other bodies concerning administration of justice and court operations in New York State.
Education
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New York University School of Law, J.D.
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Brown University, A.B.
Admissions & Qualifications
- New York
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Michigan, Eastern District
- U.S. District Court, New York, Eastern District
- U.S. District Court, New York, Southern District
- Supreme Court of the United States
Memberships
New York City Bar (Former Chair of Membership Committee, Former Chair of Council on Judicial Administration, Former Chair of Network of Bar Leaders Special Project on the Judiciary Budget)
Legal Aid Society (Board of Directors, Executive Committee)
Awards & Recognition
The Legal Aid Society Servant of Justice Award 2022
The Man We Love Award, Student Leadership Network 2019
Judge Simon H. Rifkind Award, The Jewish Theological Seminary 2017
Sports Business Journal Power Players: Outside Counsel 2021
Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year, Sports Law-New York City 2016
The Am Law Litigation Daily: Litigator of the Week, May 15, 2014
Chambers USA: Nationwide: Sports Law 2005-2024 (Band 1)
Chambers USA: New York: Litigation: General Commercial 2008-2024
Benchmark Litigation National Litigation Star 2014-2025
The Legal 500 United States: Industry Focus: Sport 2014-2023 (Hall of Fame, 2023)
The Legal 500 United States: Antitrust: Civil Litigation/Class Actions 2018-2021
The Legal 500 United States: Litigation: Commercial Litigation 2015-2020, 2022, 2024
The Legal 500 United States: Media, Technology & Telecoms: Sports 2008-2010
Best Lawyers in America 2007-2025
New York Super Lawyers 2006-2022
Law360: Sports MVP of the Year 2015
Sports Business Journal’s Power Players
Lawdragon “3000 Leading Lawyers in America”
Profiled in the National Law Journal's "Winning" Supplement