Jon H. Oram

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Partner

New York +1.212.969.3401

Jon H. Oram is a partner in Proskauer’s Corporate Department, a member of the Sports Law Group and a past member of the Firm's Executive Committee. Jon has a broad-based transactional practice with an emphasis on clients in the sports industry, including teams, leagues and owners, college conferences, media companies, private investment funds and financial institutions.

Since joining Proskauer, Jon has represented the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the ATP Tour, the WTA Tour, the PGA of America and various other sports leagues and governing bodies in their most significant transactional matters, including team ownership transfers, financings, expansions, relocations, bankruptcies and investigations. His experience includes representing MLS in its arrangements with Lionel Messi and 20 expansion transactions over the past two decades, advising the NBA in the formation of NBA China and its $253 million private placement, counseling the WTA Tour in connection with CVC Partners’ $150 million investment in WTA Ventures, and acting on behalf of funds managed by Ares Management Corporation in their acquisition of a significant minority interest in Atlético Madrid. Jon also serves as the primary outside counsel to Los Angeles 2028, the private not-profit corporation that will host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In addition, Jon regularly advises professional sports teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals and Joe Gibbs Racing in a wide array of corporate matters, including team acquisitions, secured and unsecured financings, employment contracts with coaches and other key executives, and the sale of media rights, naming rights, sponsorships and other commercial rights. Jon has represented the O'Malley and Seidler families in their purchase of the San Diego Padres, Jim Crane and his partners in their acquisition of the Houston Astros, Shahid Khan in his purchase of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Patrick D. Bowlen Trust in the record-breaking $4.65 billion sale of the Denver Broncos. He has also advised bidders for many other teams across a broad range of sports, both in auctions and privately negotiated sales.

Over the past two decades, Jon has counseled teams, leagues and owners seeking to develop new stadiums, arenas and other sports facilities. He has worked with, among others, the Eagles with the lease and development of Lincoln Financial Field, the Jets with regard to the financing of MetLife Stadium, the New Jersey Devils in their efforts to construct and finance the Prudential Center, and NBA China in negotiations with Anschutz Entertainment Group and to develop and operate the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.

Jon has advised clients on many of the largest naming rights transactions in history, including the New York Jets and Giants in their $400 million naming rights deal with MetLife and Levi Strauss & Co. in its $220 million deal to name the San Francisco 49ers’ stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Jon also represents a variety of private investment funds and other financial institutions, in connection with various debt and equity investments in professional sports teams and sports-related properties and the formation of sports and media-focused investment funds. His clients include Ares Capital, Avenue Capital, Dynasty Equity, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Oaktree Capital, The Raine Group, Shamrock Capital and U.S. Bank.

Jon is recognized as one of the top sports attorneys in the United States by Chambers USA, which ranks him in “Band One” for sports and has described him as "a gifted corporate lawyer with an extraordinary capacity to handle complex matters." In 2012, Jon was inducted into the Sports Business Journal's Hall of Fame after being named one of SBJ’s "Forty Under 40" most influential executives in the sports industry for 2008, 2009 and 2012. He has also been honored as one of the top “40 Under 40” M&A lawyers by The M&A Advisor, a “Leading Lawyer” by Legal 500 and a “Power Player” by Sports Business Journal.

Jon is a member of the Firm’s Pro Bono Initiative Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of Advocates for Children of New York, an organization dedicated to protecting every child’s right to an education.

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