(August 16, 2010, Pittsburgh, PA) -Charles M. "Chuck" Greenberg, the new Managing Partner and CEO of the Texas Rangers, is transitioning his legal practice to Reed Smith LLP. In addition to his full time role as the Managing Partner and CEO of the Rangers, Greenberg will be affiliated with Reed Smith as counsel.
Greenberg was formerly a partner in the Pittsburgh office of Pepper Hamilton, where he headed that firm's sports practice and was a past member of its Executive Committee. He is chairman and founder of the Greenberg Sports Group and recently led the team of investors, including Hall of Fame pitcher and Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryan that recently won a hotly contested auction to become the owners of the Texas Rangers baseball team. That deal was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Fort Worth, Texas on August 5th and finalized by Major League Baseball on August 12th.
"Chuck has built one of the nation's top sports and entertainment practices and we are very pleased to add him and his team to Reed Smith," said Gregory B. Jordan, Global Managing Partner of Reed Smith.
Kristin I. Wells, also formerly a partner at Pepper Hamilton, joins Reed Smith in the firm's Corporate and Securities Group and will be taking a leadership role in transitioning and managing Greenberg's practice. She provides day-to-day business counseling to the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL franchise and other major and minor league sports franchises and has represented investor groups in their acquisition of various professional teams. Wells also provides counsel in mergers and acquisitions and in corporate and securities matters to publicly traded and privately held companies.
Greenberg and Wells reconnect with a 14-person group from Pepper Hamilton's Pittsburgh office, headed by partner Dusty Elias Kirk, which joined Reed Smith's real estate practice in mid-May. In addition to Kirk, Pepper partners Sharon F. DiPaolo, Jeffrey A. Mills, and Alan K. Sable transitioned to Reed Smith in that move.
A 1985 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, Greenberg led stadium negotiations for the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL franchise on the development of the new Consol Energy Center, opening this season; represented the business leaders who acquired the Florida Panthers NHL franchise in 2001; and represented the deal team led by Mario Lemieux that purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1999. He played an instrumental role in the sale of the Salem Avalanche in 2007; the purchase of the New Jersey Cardinals - which became the State College Spikes - in 2006; the purchase of the Fort Wayne Wizards in 2006; and the purchase of the Altoona Curve in 2002.
Greenberg has also overseen numerous corporate reorganizations, led management search teams, negotiated agreements for coaches and other front office sports executives, negotiated credit facilities and arena leases, as well as conceived and led successful arena renovation programs. In 2008, he was elected to the Minor League Baseball Board of Trustees. He is also a member of the Sports Business Research Advisory Board at Penn State University, where he represents team owners in the work of the Center for Sports Business Research.
"Reed Smith is a strong and growing global firm and is an ideal home for my practice, clients and colleague," said Greenberg.
Greenberg is a member of the National Sports Lawyers Association, and the American, Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Bar Associations. He serves on the Board of the Mario Lemieux Foundation, and is on the Executive Committee of the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Golf Invitational.
Wells is a 1996 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She earned an MBA in 1992 from the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business and her B.A. from University of Pittsburgh in 1990.
Reed Smith has handled a broad range of matters involving professional sports organizations, including mergers and acquisitions, general corporate and financing, intellectual property, venue and sponsorship, litigation and dispute resolution and workouts, and insurance. It represented Kevin McClatchy and his investment group in the successful purchase of the Pittsburgh Pirates, BlueLine Associates in its purchase of the San Jose Sharks, and parties in the acquisition of the Buffalo Sabres and the Philadelphia Phantoms, as well as advised Chad Hurley, CEO of You Tube, in his role as financier of Team US, a new Formula One Racing Team, and San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises in its Strikeforce investment.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with nearly 1,600 lawyers in 22 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute-resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy trade and commodities, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
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