10 Feb 2026
Dentons welcomes employment and sports lawyer Ian Carleton Schaefer to New York office
"Dentons has added Ian Carleton Schaefer as a partner in its New York Employment and Labor practice, where he will advise on employment and sports-related workplace, reputational, and crisis-management matters."
Schaefer is a specialist in employment and sports law and is described as a go-to advisor for sports leagues and clubs, entertainment companies, and financial and professional services organizations facing high‑stakes workplace, reputational, and crisis‑management matters. He brings more than 20 years of experience advising employers on complex litigation, sensitive workplace investigations, executive transitions, and the workplace implications of social movements and emerging technologies on a global scale.
He works across a broad range of industries—including sports, media and entertainment, financial and professional services, fashion, retail, and healthcare—advising organizations from emerging companies to the Fortune 500. Schaefer is nationally recognized as a thought leader in both employment and sports law, is frequently sought by major media for commentary, and co‑authored the successful briefs in 14 Penn Plaza v. Pyett, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that reshaped 35 years of labor law.
Dan Beale, head of Dentons’ US Employment and Labor practice, said Ian will be a key contributor to the US Employment and Labor team, bringing deep experience advising global clients and a perspective that complements Dentons’ global employment and labor platform.