The first dedicated esports law firm has launched

04 January 2017

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ESG Law, the world’s first dedicated esports law firm, has been launched by Bryce Blum

Bryce Blum, ESG Law

The ESG stands for Electronic Sports and Gaming. On the ‘About’ section it states ‘ESG Law represents industry-leading esports teams, talent, and institutions. Our clients compete on the world stage in every major esports title, cast and host the premiere esports events, stream to millions, and operate businesses that push the envelope of the esports industry in betting, content creation, brand representation, merchandising, and more’.

Blum is a well known, well versed and well connected figure in the world of esports. He’s worked at law firms IME Law and Foster Pepper PLLC and has been involved in esports legal advice in a professional capacity for some time. Blum has also worked in advisory type roles with companies such as Unikrn and is involved in the esports arm of the agency Catalyst Sports.

The launch of ESG Law is no great surprise but is a much needed entity in the industry. Blum also noted that ESG is on the lookout for lawyers to join the firm, and announced the basic requirements in a tweet.

Blum also took part in a Reddit AMA after making the announcement of the company’s launch. One redditor asked about players and teams using Twitlonger to make public statements and his views on this. Bryce responded: “I’m torn on this. Generally speaking, I think the esports industry could afford to level up its professionalism in certain areas. Public drama is definitely one of them. We air our dirty laundry as a matter of course, and that’s scary for people on the outside who could want to invest, sponsor, etc. These people/entities will play a pivotal role in our future growth, so we need to care what they think (at least, I think we should).”

He continued: “On the flip side, one of the best parts of the esports industry is the connectivity between fans and their heroes. Our industry doesn’t exist in a black box and people feel a genuine connection to the teams, players, streamers, casters, etc in a way that just doesn’t exist in traditional sports.

“Twitlonger is a part of that culture and I would hate to see us abandon this altogether as we continue transitioning into the mainstream.”

Esports Insider says: Bryce Blum already represents a number of clients in esports and has advised many more in a number of roles. Launching a dedicated firm makes sense and with more pro teams popping up, and more and more players turning esports into a full time career Blum will have a lot on his plate.