Sports industry lawyer Jon Oram chose corporate law rather than litigation in part because deals usually promise a fast turn-around—unlike the yearslong cases many of his colleagues handle.

But the Proskauer Rose partner now finds himself on a project that could keep him busy for the next decade: Los Angeles' bid to host the 2024 Olympics.

The New York-based lawyer might not seem like the most obvious choice for a city that turned to Latham & Watkins for past Olympics endeavors. Retired Latham partner Barry Sanders served as outside counsel to the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee in the years leading up to the city's 1984 games, and he led the city's unsuccessful bid for the 2016 games. (Sanders now servers as president of the Board of Commissioners of L.A.'s Recreation and Parks Department.)