Bingham opens unit to advise pro teams

The law firm Bingham McCutchen has launched Bingham Sports Consulting, a subsidiary that will advise professional sports teams on investment, management, legal, and business issues, and former Red Sox chief executive John L. Harrington has joined the venture as a principal.

The sports consultancy will supplement Bingham's existing sports practice, which has done extensive work for teams such as the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and New England Revolution, as well as the National Football League, Major League Soccer, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and New England Sports Network.

By combining the firm’s legal experience in the sports industry with Harrington’s sports-management expertise, Bingham Sports Consulting is uniquely positioned to assist sports franchises and potential investors on financial and operational matters, from revenue sharing to ownership transfers to stadium issues, the firm said.

"John’s been through all of that, and I think he’ll provide really invaluable assistance to investors looking at the possibility of buying a team or buying an interest in a team," said Bingham partner Daniel L. Goldberg, who was a primary attorney for the Red Sox from the early 1980s until the team was sold to an investor group led by hedge fund manager John W. Henry in 2002.

Harrington, 70, a certified public accountant who holds an MBA from Boston College, began his career with the Red Sox in 1973 as treasurer and became chief executive in 1987, a position he held until the sale. Since 1982, he has been executive director and president of the Yawkey Foundation. He will continue to serve as president through December, after which he will remain a trustee.

"I’ve been anticipating this succession for several years," but the process of transitioning out of the Yawkey Foundation took longer than anticipated, Harrington said, adding he will bring "a 8CEO's point of view, an insider’s point of view’’ to Bingham Sports Consulting.

Bingham’s sports consultancy is the firm’s fourth subsidiary business, along with Bingham Consulting Group, which does government relations, Bingham Strategic Advisors, which does corporate finance, and Bingham Legg Advisers, a wealth-management group.

Sacha Pfeiffer can be reached at pfeiffer@globe.com.