Two Washington-based Covington & Burling attorneys assisted the Big East in adding five schools to the conference, the firm announced late Wednesday.
Covington partner Peter Zern and associate Scott Roades represented the Big East with its agreements to bring the University of Central Florida, University of Houston, Boise State and San Diego State into the conference. Boise State and San Diego State will be eligible to compete in the 2013 football season. The other three schools will be eligible beginning with the 2013-14 academic year.
Syracuse, West Virginia and Pittsburgh will depart from the conference in the coming years, eventually bringing the total number of Big East teams to 12. The hope is that the additions will allow the conference to stage an annual conference football championship game.
Zern, who focuses his practice on sports and media transactions, finance and mergers and acquisitions, is a partner in the firm’s corporate finance practice.
“Our legal relationship with Covington & Burling has been extremely beneficial and integral to our expansion discussions as well as our television planning,” Big East commissioner John Marinatto said in a written statement.
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