Sports and Stadium Finance Attorney

Sports and Stadium Finance Attorney

Office Boston

Department Corporate

Date Posted Jan 21, 2025

Application Deadline Dec 31, 2030

Choate's nationally recognized sports finance practice is seeking a lateral associate, principal, or counsel with significant experience in cash flow-based lending to join our dynamic and growing team. We represent a diverse array of lender-side clients-including money center banks and institutional investors-in sophisticated sports finance transactions, including in connection with franchise loans to MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL, MLS and minor league teams, special purpose loans to individual professional leagues, college conferences and their financing affiliates, securitizations of media revenues, and project financings for arena and stadium construction projects. In addition, we work on a variety of cash flow financings in other industries, with a strong focus on acquisition financings.

We welcome candidates who are interested in pursuing the equity partner track, as well as those who prefer to focus on delivering high-level legal execution and exceptional client service in a fast-paced, collaborative environment without seeking partnership.

Job Functions / Responsibilities

• Work on sports financings involving team and league lending, and arena and stadium projects as well as other cash flow deals, including acquisition financings, senior secured and mezzanine debt structures and junior capital investments.
• Represent leading financial institutions and private credit lenders in complex cash flow financing transactions.
• Manage all aspects of transactional workstreams-from structuring and negotiating deal documents to overseeing closings.
• Collaborate closely with partners and clients in a fast-paced, high-performing practice.

Qualifications

• Experience in transactional debt finance matters, particularly cash flow and acquisition financings. Experience in sports finance is a plus but not required.
• Excellent academic credentials and strong analytical, drafting, and negotiation skills.
• Enthusiastic team player who thrives in a collaborative environment.
• Large firm or elite boutique experience preferred.
• Demonstrated proficiency in leveraging generative AI tools to enhance research, drafting, analysis, and overall workflow efficiency, with sound judgment regarding accuracy, confidentiality, and ethical use.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship by the Firm (either now or in the future).

About the Firm

One of the nation's premier law firms, Choate is intentionally structured to be different from the firms with which we compete, and those differences materially benefit our clients and the best and brightest talent who join us. We focus on a core group of strategic areas where we practice at the highest level and represent clients in some of their most important matters across the US and internationally, including Fortune 500 companies, public and private companies, PE/VC firms, financial institutions and wealthy individuals.

Choate lawyers are highly integrated and work closely together every day and across services, maximizing value for clients by developing a sophisticated understanding of their businesses and goals and fostering long-term, collaborative relationships. Our balanced leverage model gives us the ability to match clients with a dedicated, leanly staffed team of lawyers led by highly experienced, hands-on partners and associates working under their direction. To capture the benefits of our model, attorneys are expected to work from our Boston or New York office at least four days per week, although we are open to alternative arrangements depending on the individual circumstances of the candidate.

Compensation

Choate offers market-based compensation for its attorneys. The current base salary range for on-track attorneys is $225,000 for first-year associates to $435,000 for principal-level attorneys, excluding bonus compensation and a generous benefits package.

The anticipated salary range for this role is listed below and represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the salary range for this specific position at the time of posting. The actual offered salary for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to qualifications and prior experience, attorney level placement, external market data, consideration of internal equity, and whether the role is on or off-track.

$260,000 - $435,000