With experience litigating cases involving some of the most iconic sports memorabilia — including game-worn items associated with legendary athletes such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Magic Johnson — Akerman is a trusted advisor, offering clients a deep understanding of the intersection between dispute resolution and collectibles matters.

We are one of the nation’s few major law firms with a practice dedicated to guiding clients through these high-stakes challenges. We deliver strategic counsel and advocacy aimed at protecting valuable assets, resolving disputes efficiently, and minimizing risk in an evolving landscape. When disputes cannot be resolved without litigation, our attorneys have a track record of success in protecting our clients’ interests and rights in state and federal courts and before arbitral tribunals nationwide.

What We Do

Our work covers a wide range of issues that arise in sports memorabilia-related disputes and investigations, including:

• Enforceability of contracts for the purchase and sale of sports memorabilia, including contracts made over email, text message, Instagram message, and other more informal means of contracting
• Interpretation and enforceability of auction and consignment agreements
• Rightful ownership of and/or title to sports memorabilia, including disputes addressing the abandoned status of certain items
• Adequacy of marketing and advertising by auction houses
• Physical damage to items of sports memorabilia, including while in the possession of an auction house or in transit
• Allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, and conspiracy in connection with the purchase and sale of sports memorabilia
• Government investigations and prosecutions concerning the legality of the purchase of sports memorabilia