Irwin Raij Bio

As Co-Head of O'Melveny's Entertainment, Sports and Media Industry Group, Irwin Raij has extensive experience advising clients on a wide range of sports business issues, on both the professional and the collegiate levels. He has represented owners and acquirers of professional sports teams, leagues, universities, and state governments. His experience includes matters related to MLB, MiLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, NFL, and EPL, along with major colleges and universities. Irwin also is an owner of the Oklahoma City Dodgers (MiLB), and the MLS Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC). Irwin has handled new stadium development projects, project program and development counseling, financing, construction, license/lease agreements, management agreements, concessions, merchandising, ancillary development, licensing arrangements, promotional and advertising agreements (including naming rights), sports technology counseling/ventures, ticketing arrangements, stadium service agreements, RSN formation, and television, radio and media rights agreements. A consensus builder, Irwin also has experience successfully negotiating complex public-private partnerships. Recognizing the significance of Supreme Court’s May 2018 decision permitting states to legalize sports gambling, Irwin created and leads an interdisciplinary task force comprised of partners across the firm’s practices and offices to better serve clients navigating this new legal terrain. Previously, he served as assistant counsel to the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign, responsible for compliance with Federal Election Commission regulations, drafting committee contracts and leases, conducting research and providing other legal guidance. Irwin also served as an attorney in the White House Office of Counsel to the President and later as associate counsel in the White House Office of Counsel to the Vice President. Irwin began his career as an attorney advisor for the Department of Housing & Urban Development, and returned to that Department to serve as special assistant in the office of the general counsel and as acting managing attorney for the FOIA Department.