Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld wants to help the Washington metropolitan area make its dash for Olympic gold. The firm is serving as legal counsel to D.C. 2024, the nonprofit organization that plans to make a pitch to bring the 2024 Summer Olympic Games to the nation’s capital.
Board member Anthony Pierce, the partner in charge of Akin's Washington office, said the firm is offering legal counsel on a pro bono basis. No legal issues have yet to come up yet, he said.
Among the matters Pierce expects attorneys will confront: corporate governance, IP licensing, labor and employment, real estate, trade and regulatory. Pierce said Akin is currently the only law firm involved in assisting the D.C. 2024 nonprofit.
"The organization needs a law firm like ours that is national and local in its approach and knowledge of these legal issues," Pierce said.
One of the first steps for the organization is to raise money and present a plan to the U.S. Olympic Committee. If the Washington area is selected as a contender, it would then compete with other countries for the honor to host the games. The International Olympic Committee is expected to choose a host city by 2017.
"You raise money to get the bid together and show the USOC that you have a plan," Pierce said. "When we go out to solicit money to fund the bid, there will be rules and I suspect we will get some legal advice on how to go about that."
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