Richard L. Brand

As a transactional attorney for a number of professional sports teams, Brand is easily wooed into fandom.

“When you work for a team like the [Los Angeles] Rams or the [San Francisco] 49ers, you feel like you’re a part of it and feeling like you’re a part of it makes you want to root for them,” he said. “They’re not calling me asking who to play and who not to, but you still feel like you’re a part of it.”

Four years ago, Brand moved to the West Coast from D.C. to open Arent Fox’s San Francisco office. Since he settled in, he’s built the firm’s presence up from five attorneys to a team of 31 and fostered long-term relationships with some of the West Coast’s biggest professional sports teams.

Brand said his most recent success in sports real estate stems from the work he did for the San Francisco 49ers regarding Levi Stadium, which opened in 2014. Since then, he’s worked on naming rights and partnerships for the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Rams. He also represents sponsors involved in large stadium deals. For example, he represented Golden 1 Credit Union in a unique partnership agreement with the Sacramento Kings to build a new arena. The partnership included following what Brand sees as a new trend: offering in-stadium benefits to customers rather than just the company.

“My clients use me certainly for the X’s and O’s that drive everyone crazy, but more importantly for some of the business and industry advice,” Brand said. “I’ve done so many of these deals for so many different sides of the equation, I can give perspective that another attorney may not be able to provide.”

Most recently, Brand has been getting a front row seat to one of his projects. Brand represents the Transbay Joint Powers Authority in a transaction to create “the Grand Central of the West.” In July, he orchestrated a 25-year naming rights agreement with Salesforce.com Inc. that will fund the redevelopment of the current Transbay Transit Center. The resulting complex will be known as the Salesforce Transit Center. It’s being built two blocks from Brand’s office.

“It’s very impactful when you work on something you walk by every day,” he said.

— Paula Lehman-Ewing