Signage at the legal offices of law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York, New York, U.S., May 19, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

(Reuters) – More than a week after poaching a music industry lawyer from a rival law firm, Willkie, Farr & Gallagher has hired a top sports lawyer from O’Melveny & Myers .

Jared Bartie, who co-chaired O’Melveny’s sports industry group, has joined Willkie as a partner in New York, the firm announced Thursday.

Prior to joining O’Melveny in 2017, Bartie was the general counsel for World Wrestling Entertainment Inc, NBA team Charlotte Bobcats and the United States Tennis Association.

Bartie’s practice includes facility naming rights, sponsorship deals, and media rights deals. He has been active in esports, representing companies such as Envy Gaming Inc and Gen.G Esports, which own teams that compete in “Call of Duty”, “League of Legends” and other video games. Bartie also advised NFL Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones when he bought a stake in esports team Complexity Gaming in 2017, according to his former law firm.

His arrival at Willkie follows the company’s hiring of Sid Fohrman, the head of Sheppard Mullin’s music industry team and esports and games industry team, in Los Angeles. Angeles. Fohrman’s clients have included Peloton Interactive Inc and Mastercard Inc.

Willkie is a new entrant to the legal Los Angeles market, having opened there in September with a trio of partners from Venable. Willkie also said Thursday that he brought in Cooley’s private equity partner Ray LaSoya for the Los Angeles office, increasing its size to 50 attorneys, including 16 partners.

A spokesperson for O’Melveny said the company wished Bartie well. A spokesperson for Cooley did not respond to requests for comment.

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