345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10154

212.407.4872

212.208.2668

Brian R. Socolow
Partner and Office Administrative Partner, New York Office

Brian Socolow’s practice includes the representation of clients in a wide range of intellectual property, entertainment, securities and complex commercial disputes in state and federal courts throughout the country. Mr. Socolow also acts as outside general counsel to a variety of businesses.

Mr. Socolow's notable representations have involved clients such as Aon, Burton Snowboards, American Movie Classics Company, Fútbol Club de Barcelona, Fisher Scientific, Shop Vac Corporation, Prudential Securities, Redcats USA, American Family Publishers (part of a Time, Inc. joint venture), Borders, Isle of Capri Casinos and Prince Jefri of Brunei.

Mr. Socolow’s recent experience includes a breach of contract trial for Shop Vac Corporation, which he represented through a highly-successful settlement, recovery of over $1 million in copyright infringement claims on behalf of a publisher prior to litigation, and a securities arbitration that resulted in a directed verdict for his broker-dealer client.

Other recent matters Mr. Socolow has been involved in include the representation of a dredging company in breach of contract and environmental claims, representation of a pharmaceutical company in a contract dispute, representation of a medical products distributor in a fraud and breach of contract arbitration, representation of an entertainment company in a copyright dispute, representation of a resort and hotel company in a trademark dispute, and the defense of a retailer in a price discrimination action. Mr. Socolow also counsels clients in corporate fraud and government investigations, and has represented officers and directors of companies.

Mr. Socolow’s practice encompasses sports law as well. He has represented entities in the sports industry in various contract and intellectual property matters. Mr. Socolow has also given numerous radio interviews on sports law issues and is a frequent contributor to the Sports Law Blog.

Publications/Speeches

Speaker, Lance Armstrong and Lessons Learned: Protecting a Brand Before, During and After a Crisis (April 9, 2013)
Speaker, Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal Annual Sports Law Symposium (March 8, 2013)
Panelist, Legal Perspectives in Emerging Sports, Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association (January 9, 2013)
Author, Armstrong’s Endorsement Contracts and the "Morals Clause", Sports Litigation Alert, Volume 9, Issue 12 (November 2, 2012)
Speaker, Sports Lawyers Association 2012 Annual Conference (May 10-12, 2012)
Co-author, Learning the Rights and Wrongs of Commercial Speech, Advertising Age (April 23, 2012)
Co-author, Contact Sport: Mobile Marketing To Sports Fans, Law360 (February 29, 2012)
Co-author, Legal Issues Associated with Mobile Marketing to Sports Fans, Association of Corporate Counsel (January 1, 2012)
Author, I Know Where You Are: Top Ten Considerations When Using Geo-Location Data or Promotions to Reach Customers and Fans, Association of Corporate Counsel (December 1, 2011)
Speaker, Using New Media to Promote Corporate Image - Understanding the Risks and Rewards (November 2, 2011)
Author, Privacy Policy Considerations for Sports Marketers, Sports Litigation Alert Vol. 8, Iss. 8 (May 2011)
Author, Blogs and Social Media Marketing: Complying with the FTC’s New Endorsement Guides, Association of Corporate Counsel (April 2011)
Speaker, ACI 24th National Advanced Forum on Advertising Law Conference, New York, New York (January 24-25, 2011)
Speaker, Blogs and Social Media Marketing: Complying with the FTC's New Endorsement Guidelines (January 18, 2011)
Speaker, Advanced Advertising in the Sports Industry Free CLE Webinar (July 28, 2010)
Author, Blogger Beware: Using Endorsements and Testimonials the Right Way, group Y (July 2010)
Author, Using Behavioral Targeting to Reach Fans: New Laws on the Horizon, group Y (May 24, 2010)
Author, Mobile Marketing - Legal Do’s & Don’ts, group Y (April 8, 2010)
Author, Marketing to Kids: A Time for Playing by the Rules, group Y (February 2010)
Author, Ambush Marketing, group Y (January 2010)
Author, Social Networking Sites: How to Avoid the Legal “Gotchas”, group Y (December 2009)
Author, Your Name and Image Are As Important As Your Talent, group Y (November 2009)
Co-author, Properly Drafted Right of First Refusal Helps Sponsors Keep Stars, Sports Business Journal, Volume 12 Issue 2 (May 2009)
Author, Risk Management and Action Sports Events: Old Rules Apply to New Sports, Sports Litigation Alert, Vol. 5, No. 22 (December 2008)
Author, What Every Player Should Know About Morals Clauses, Moves Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 2 (August 2008)
Author, Sports Law and Entertainment Law - Two Overlapping Practices, The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (February 2008)
Author, Protecting Fans at Sporting Events - Just how far must you go to keep attendees safe?, Facility Manager (January 2008)
Speaker, ACI Focus: Intellectual Property in Advertising & Marketing, New York, New York (October 24, 2007)
Author, Protecting Your Brand - You!, OverTime Magazine (May/June 2007)
Speaker, Sports Law Leadership Summit, New York, New York (September 27-28, 2006)
Author, Sports Video Content in the Mobile Age, Privacy & Data Security Law Journal (September 2006)
Author, Ringing Endorsements, OverTime Magazine (Summer 2005)
Author, When Sports & Antitrust Laws Collide, OverTime Magazine (Fall 2004)
Author, Reading Between the Lines, Sport Business International Magazine (February 2004)
Author, When Gamblers Sue Casinos, International Gaming & Wagering Business (May 2003)
Author, Courtrooms Make a Bumpy Playing Field, Sports Business Journal (June 2002)
Author, Play Ball! Sports, New Media Go to Court, New York Law Journal (July 2001)
Author, The Litigation Trustee: A Major New Tool for Creditors’ Committees, American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (March 2001)
Author, Recent Decisions Shed Light on Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Corporate Counsel (July 2000)
Author, Digital Millennium Copyright Interpreted, New York Law Journal (July 2000)

Media Mentions

DOJ's False Claims Suit Against Armstrong Faces Uphill Climb By Jake Simpson, Law360
Rory McIlroy Accepts Nike's Money, Rejects Its Putter By Ira Boudway, Bloomberg Businessweek
Lance's Losses: Armstrong Admission Could Bring Financial Fallout Interview on CBS This Morning
How Much Litigation Could Armstrong Be Facing? Interview with Matt Miller, Bloomberg Rewind, Bloomberg Television
Sports Owners Hold All The Cards In Labor Negotiations By Jake Simpson, Law360
Lance Armstrong to Break His Silence on Oprah Interview with Matt Miller, Bloomberg Rewind, Bloomberg Television
For Armstrong, a Confession no Guarantee of Return By Brent Schrotenboer, USA Today
Shambles of a Career WDR Fernsehen's Sport Inside

Member, Sports Lawyers Association
Member, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section, New York State Bar Association
Member, Board of Advisors, Vermont Law School Sports Law Institute
Former President, Chappaqua Public Library

Distinctions

Named "New York Super Lawyer" in Entertainment & Sports by Thomson Reuters (2009-2012 editions)
Legal Intern, Honorable Lucille Polk Buell, New York State Supreme Court

University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1990

Yale University, B.A., 1986, magna cum laude

New York, 1991
Florida, 1991
Connecticut, 1990

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

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Publications/Speeches

Media Mentions

Affiliations

Distinctions