08 | 21 | 2008
Media Presence
By Doug Sherwin, The Daily Transcript
Surfing is Cordon Baesel's passion. The practice of law is his profession. Now, thanks to a new practice group at Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP, the two aren't mutually exclusive.
The San Diego-based law firm recently launched an action sports practice group, catering to companies and entrepreneurs who specialize in surfing, biking, snowboarding and other related industries.
"It's great to be able to go out surfing with friends and potential clients who enjoy the same things you do," said Baesel, a special counsel at Luce Forward. "Their business is just like any other. They have real life business issues and problems that are no different just because they're a surfing company.
"Applying our legal expertise to assist these businesses provides us with great professional and personal satisfaction."
The action sports industry includes companies who manufacture surfboards, skateboards, skis and bicycles as well as shops selling T-shirts, clothes and accessories. It's become a billion-dollar-a-year industry, according to Baesel.
The industry also has experienced a spate of consolidation in recent years, like Billabong's acquisition of Sector 9, and companies now employ a complex series of distribution networks with products commonly being made overseas.
"These guy may love to surf, but first and foremost they're businessmen," Baesel said. "They're very much on the edge of how to make business models, and they know about branding.
"Twenty years ago, they maybe didn't have the business background. But now the people running these companies, they're extremely sophisticated. They're the antithesis of the 'dude' archetype."
Baesel, whose practice at Luce Forward focuses on real estate matters and environmental issues, brings the perspective of a former co-owner of an action sports enterprise.
In 1995, he and some friends launched their own snowboarding business -- Pure Carve Inc., based out of Aspen, Colo. The company sold a specialized type of snowboarding product for adults, designed more for surfing the mountain than for doing freestyle tricks or getting "big air."
While the endeavor lasted about seven years ("It probably was not the most ideal time for it," he admits), the experience gave Baesel unique insights into the nature of the industry.
"I understand the difficulties involved in trying to protect your IP (intellectual property)," he said. "I represent some snowboard companies in various business disputes about manufacturing snowboards. I understand that side of the business very well. I understand all the things that can go wrong."
The La Jolla native has been a surfer for the past 35 years as well. Likewise, a majority of the Luce Forward attorneys who make up the group are Southern California natives who participate in action sports.
"Attorneys nowadays work long hours, and to spend that with a client in an industry you really enjoy makes a world of difference," said Luce Forward partner Jason Femrite, the head of the practice group who grew up surfing and snowboarding.
The idea for the action sports practice emerged from a firmwide emphasis on coordinating attorneys to cater to specific needs of certain industries.
"Clients want to know their attorneys are focused on their industry and focused on their problems," Femrite said. "I think it holds true with action sports, too.
"(Action sports owners) generally care about the industry and care about the sport they're involved in. That may not be true with someone in a brick-and-mortar business. It's a different type of environment."
Luce Forward's newest practice group draws on the expertise of attorneys from multiple specialties, including business, intellectual property, financing, tax and estate planning, labor/employment, product liability, general litigation and real estate.
The attorneys hope to assist emerging and well-known surf, skate, snow and motocross businesses, as well as other types of action sports companies, during every stage of the business cycle.
"We believe action sports companies can really benefit by working with attorneys who focus specifically on the industry and understand the unique issues associated with that type of business," said Robert J. Bell, Luce Forward's managing partner. "We have attorneys who not only understand the varied legal issues that confront action sport business, but they also have genuine enthusiasm for action sports. Many start their day at the break of dawn surfing, and during the winter, you'll find them skiing or riding all over California and the West Coast."
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