Fanatics Holdings, a sports apparel and merchandise company focused on sports betting, has hired several new lawyers to help advance its efforts.
Eva Pulliam, a data privacy and regulatory practice partner at ArentFox Schiff, recently joined the firm's Fanatics Betting and Gaming subsidiary as vice president of legal products and marketing.
Brianna Reed, a former college athlete turned National Collegiate Athletic Association attorney, also joined Fanatics' betting and gaming division last month as a state compliance analyst.
Following a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down sports betting regulations, the U.S. sports betting business has exploded with companies such as Fanatics, FanDuel and DraftKings competing for market share.
Mr. Pulliam worked for approximately 15 years at ArentFox Schiff and its predecessor company, ArentFox, and was based in San Francisco and Washington. When Pulliam became partner in 2022, she was considered an up-and-coming regulatory expert.
In his new role, Pulliam will work with product, regulatory and marketing teams to address marketing, privacy and legal issues arising from the “development and improvement” of mobile applications like Fanatics Sportsbook, the company said. He says he will focus on it. She reports to Jane Pollack, a former Uber Technologies attorney who joined Fanatics' gaming business last year as senior vice president of legal affairs.
Fanatics said Reed works outside the legal group as part of the regulatory team, but reports to senior regulatory counsel Michael Levine. Levine joined the company last year from the online gambling platform PokerStars Inc.
legal employment
Fanatics, a privately held company led by prominent sports executive Michael Rubin, was valued at $31 billion a year ago after raising $700 million in funding. Although the company has offices around the world, its holding company and sports betting operations are based in New York, its commerce operations are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and its European headquarters are in Manchester, England.
Rubin sold his stake in the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers in 2022 amid concerns about a conflict of interest with Fanatics, which is expanding its investments in the sports world. That same year, the company paid $500 million to acquire Topps' sports trading card division, advised by Wachtel, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
Fanatics has ramped up its hiring efforts over the past year, hiring experienced sports industry executives ahead of its initial public offering, Bloomberg News reported in September.
Gregg Winiarski has joined Fanatics as the holding company's chief legal officer. The highly regulated gaming industry often requires additional legal expertise, and other departments within Fanatics also have their own legal teams.
In January, Fanatics promoted senior general counsel Emma Doty to vice president of legal affairs, making her the company's top lawyer for international operations. Emma Spas, a Willkie Farr and Gallagher associate in New York, also joined Fanatics in the same month as general counsel to the holding company.
In December, Fanatics promoted Andrew Yontef to general counsel for its commerce business, replacing Karen Yemans, who moved into an advisory role with the company. Yontev joined Fanatics from NBCUniversal Media LLC in 2022, the same year Fanatics hired former Wachtel associate Shiri Ben Yishai as general counsel for its collectibles business.
legal battle
Increasing competition in the sports betting business is causing conflict.
DraftKings filed a lawsuit last week to prevent Fanatics from hiring Michael Hermaline, former vice president of VIP management. DraftKings claimed that Hermalin was in possession of confidential information related to Super Bowl plans that would allow Fanatics to acquire valuable sports betting customers.
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dole and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher obtain a temporary restraining order on behalf of DraftKings to allow Hermalin to join the Fanatics just before the Super Bowl Although successful, it prohibited Harmalin from obtaining business records from DraftKings or soliciting corporate clients. Fanatics is not a party to the dispute in Boston federal court and has not commented on it.
The merchandise division signed NBA star LeBron James to a multi-year deal last month, but is also facing legal troubles with Fanatics' opponents.
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Latham & Watkins, Gunster, Yokeley & Stewart are representing Fanatics in its antitrust battle with Italian trading card competitor Panini SpA, which escalated last year, and are representing Fanatics in its antitrust battle with Italian trading card competitor Panini SpA, which escalated last year. He is repped by Flexner and Carlton Fields.
