Kirkland Lures Latham Sports Star as PE Firms Eye Team Stakes

Kirkland & Ellis is poised to hire Frank Saviano from Latham & Watkins, where he was a leader on sports deals for the law firm, according to a person familiar with the move.

Kirkland has been active in the sports industry practice, particularly through relationships with investment funds such as Arctos Partners. Hiring Saviano is a signal the firm sees more room to grow.

New York-based Saviano helped Sixth Street Partners acquire a stake in Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants in March. He’s also advised sports-focused fund Dynasty Equity, which Kirkland helped in 2023 acquire a minority investment in Liverpool Football Club.

The hire shows how top sports partners are attracting interest from rival firms. Booming valuations for sports teams and an increase in private equity interest have made the industry an attractive target for Big Law.

The NFL became the latest major sports league to allow private equity investments in its franchises, supercharging the growing ranks of asset managers acquiring stakes in the most valuable teams.

Saviano did not respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for Kirkland and Latham also did not respond to requests for comment.

Saviano became a global leader of Latham’s entertainment, sports & media industry group after joining in 2020 from Proskauer, a firm with a long reputation of sports industry work.

Kirkland partner Michael Considine has led deals for that firm’s sports clients, including advising Arctos on investments in the National Football League’s Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills.

Kirkland and Latham are the first and second largest law firms, respectively, by revenue, according to AmLaw data. Kirkland brought in $8.8 billion in revenue in 2024 while Latham’s top line hit $7 billion.

Weil Gotshal in February recruited Steve Argeris from the bustling sports practice at Hogan Lovells, with Weil’s private equity leader saying there was a “huge opportunity” to advise clients on sports deals.

The American Lawyer first reported Saviano’s pending move.