NEW YORK, August 17, 2026 – Proskauer is pleased to share that partners Joe Leccese and Wayne Katz have been named to The Hollywood Reporter’s 2026 list of Top Sports Lawyers, which spotlights outstanding legal professionals in the sports industry.

Joe is the former Chairman of Proskauer and longstanding co-chair of its Sports Group. Widely recognized as one of the leading sports lawyers in the industry, he has led many of the most significant deals in sports and media over the past three decades. Joe’s experience includes advising on numerous M&A transactions in sports in North America and Europe on behalf of both high-net-worth individuals and private equity firms, and numerous media, financing, stadium/arena and other transactions for the National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, Big East Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, ATP Tour, WTA Tour, USGA and other governing bodies, as well as for a number of teams, owners, and media entities.

Wayne, a senior partner in Proskauer’s Sports Group, has over 30 years of experience handling transactions on behalf of leagues, teams, owners, financial institutions, universities, and media companies. His experience includes representing the National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, and National Hockey League in their various corporate matters, including team sales, expansions, arena transactions and financings; acquisitions and sales of National Football League and Major League Baseball teams; stadium and arena development, financing and lease transactions; and various other financing and commercial agreements.

Read more in The Hollywood Reporter: Counsel of Champions: Hollywood’s Top Sports Lawyers

About Proskauer

Proskauer is an elite global law firm with more than 900 lawyers in key financial centers in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. Our clients include many of the world’s leading businesses, including asset managers, banks, listed corporations, and private companies. We have deep expertise in several of the fastest-growing and dynamic segments of the market, including sports, technology, life sciences, and health care. We represent hundreds of asset managers across a wide spectrum of sectors and strategies, including private equity, private credit, hedge, real assets, secondaries, and capital solutions.

For more than 60 years, Proskauer has advised the world’s premier sports organizations on their most critical and complex matters. Our lawyers play a pivotal role in the transactions, negotiations and litigations that are at the leading edge of the business of sports.