O’Melveny Welcomes Ex-NBA VP and Assistant General Counsel

NEW YORK—January 15, 2025—O’Melveny announced today that Benjamin Aronson, former Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at the National Basketball Association, has joined the New York office as a partner in the firm’s General Litigation Practice Group and Entertainment, Sports & Media Industry Group. He will represent clients in professional and collegiate sports-related litigation and investigations, NIL matters, and consumer class actions. He will also advise on crisis and risk management and data privacy concerns.

A seasoned litigator and trusted strategic advisor, Aronson brings nearly 15 years of experience to O’Melveny—including nearly a decade serving as in-house counsel at the NBA. As the league’s Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of Litigation & Player Matters, he oversaw all global commercial litigation and provided support and guidance to various teams’ general counsel. During his tenure, Aronson managed the league’s response to an array of high-stakes investigations, arbitrations, and lawsuits. He also led the liability risk management for the NBA’s innovative “bubble playoffs” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the NBA, Aronson worked in the Litigation Department in the New York office of Debevoise & Plimpton.

Aronson’s arrival further strengthens O’Melveny’s acclaimed Entertainment, Sports & Media Industry Group, which regularly advises the industry’s biggest names on their most consequential, headline-making legal matters. And as the fast-paced sports industry continues to evolve, O’Melveny remains ideally positioned to represent a wide range of industry clients.

“We are delighted to welcome Ben to O’Melveny and to our A-list team of Entertainment, Sports & Media litigators,” said O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin. “Ben is a talented, respected lawyer with a versatile skillset and deep experience at the highest levels of the professional sports world. Our clients will immediately benefit from his unique abilities and his intimate knowledge of league and sports franchise operations. It is a pleasure to welcome him aboard.”

“I’m excited by this incredible opportunity to join O’Melveny’s unparalleled litigation team,” said Aronson. “I was drawn to the firm by its sterling reputation—as both a litigation juggernaut and as a proven leader in the sports industry. And I was equally impressed by the firm’s distinct, collaborative culture and its commitment to client success. I’m thrilled to start this new chapter of my career as an O’Melveny partner.”

Aronson’s addition bolsters O’Melveny’s broad nationwide litigation and investigation capabilities and accelerates the firm’s strategic growth. With his arrival, 27 lateral partners have joined the firm since 2023, including 10 litigation partners based in the firm’s New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and Washington, DC offices.

Aronson earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and his A.B. from Brown University.

About O’Melveny

It’s more than what you do: it’s how you do it. Across sectors and borders, in board rooms and courtrooms, we measure our success by yours. And in our interactions, we commit to making your O’Melveny experience as satisfying as the outcomes we help you achieve. Our greatest accomplishment is ensuring that you never have to choose between premier lawyering and exceptional service. So, tell us. What do you want to achieve? Visit us at www.omm.com; learn more in our firm at-a-glance; and find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.