Michael Kuh, partner at Hogan Lovells. Michael Kuh, partner at Hogan Lovells.

Michael Kuh, a sports industry dealmaker and onetime aide to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, spent his whole Big Law career at Latham & Watkins until joining the partnership at Hogan Lovells this month. 

A Latham lawyer since 2003, most recently as counsel, he will be based in Hogan Lovells' corporate department in New York. 

Kuh has worked on a number of high-profile sports transactions over the years, including New York City's unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Olympics, the winning joint proposal of the U.S., Canada and Mexico to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the formation of the National Women's Soccer League and the sale of D.C. United in 2018. 

The American Lawyer caught up with Kuh about the origins of his sports practice, the aftermath New York's failed Olympic bid, and how he wound up representing actress Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle company, Goop. 

Why make the jump to Hogan Lovells?

I was excited by the sports platform that Hogan offered. I like their selective and strategic expansion in New York as well as the international platform they provide. And I worked with their attorneys before and was impressed.

How did you come to find yourself with a sports-centric practice? You are a transactions attorney by trade, correct?

As a junior associate I was a routine corporate associate working on M&A and private equity. Then I had the unusual opportunity to go work for NYC 2012, and as a junior associate I was their in-house counsel. That is what led to my sports practice. That is what led to the World Cup and working to create the National Women's Soccer League. 

New York lost that bid. Will the city ever get to host the Olympics? 

You know I have some bias here. I thought the bid that Dan Doctoroff [managing director of PE firm Oak Hill Capital Partners] captained for 2012 was a great opportunity for New York and for the Olympic Committee. I will say that as a New Yorker, we can credit a lot of the positive developments in New York since the bid was lost in 2005 to that work. A lot of that planning was repurposed and helped develop New York in a positive way, like the waterfront and housing in post-industrial areas. 

What was the most exciting sports-related deal you worked on? 

They are all exciting in their own way, but being a part of the team that won the rights to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup was an amazing feeling. It is going to be the largest World Cup ever, with 48 teams. 

You clearly enjoy soccer. Who are your teams? 

I love Major League Soccer. As a New Yorker, I support New York City Football Club, but that hasn't stopped me from going to plenty of Red Bulls games. In English Premiere League, got into Arsenal first because I read "Fever Pitch," but I also like Manchester City. But I think the most compelling story of the league is Bournemouth A.F.C. Their stadium only sits about 12,000 people and yet they have managed to stay in the Premiere League for the last four or five years. 

What about football, basketball, baseball? 

I watch them all. But as a lawyer with two young kids, I don't get to watch as much as you might think. 

I have to ask about Goop. How did that happen?

My prior firm was looking to expand its practice around dealing with emerging companies in New York. I had started to represent a number of companies in that space [lifestyle] and had some developed some expertise in doing it. I had a longtime friendship with the founder, and when she was interested in moving the company from the U.K. to the U.S., I worked with her. And I have worked with her and the company ever since.

By founder you mean award-winning actress and lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow? 

Yes. We have known each other since we were young. We went to "sister" high schools growing up and remained friends.

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