Joshua Sandler doesn’t shy away from the word “scrappy.”
It’s how he describes himself — the first in his family to attend college, a proud North Texas native and now the lead attorney for the Dallas Stars in one of the most consequential sports-related legal battles the city has seen.
Sandler, a shareholder at the law firm Winstead, is at the center of the high-stakes dispute between the Stars and Dallas Mavericks over control of American Airlines Center. The Stars hired him not long after the conflict erupted in October 2024, when the Mavericks sent the Stars a letter alleging a breach of the teams’ long-standing franchise agreement with the City of Dallas. A year later, the dispute escalated into dueling lawsuits, setting the stage for a courtroom showdown that could reshape the future of Dallas sports.
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That showdown inches closer this week, with the two sides set for mediation Friday, Feb. 27, and a summary judgment hearing on March 6 ahead of a jury trial slated for May.
Sandler will face Jackson Walker partner Chip Babcock — a veteran attorney known for representing high-profile clients such as Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Phil McGraw.
But for Sandler, a 46-year-old D-FW native, it’s a matter close to home — personally and professionally.
He graduated from Plano High School before earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his law degree from SMU’s Dedman School of Law, where Texas Business Court Judge Bill Whitehill will be working out of a mock trial courtroom for this case.
His aspiration to become an attorney started when he was 5 years old because he liked the idea of wearing his church clothes to work. His Stars fandom started not long after.
“I’ve been a Stars fan since I was in middle school,” he said. “At the end of this case, I want Dallas and the American Airlines Center to still be the go-to place to still be able to see these amazing teams.”
Over two decades, Sandler has built his reputation as a trial lawyer, first and foremost. As co-chair of fiduciary litigation for Winstead, he often represents trustees in complex disputes, while also handling high-level business litigation — including contract cases like the one now pitting the city’s NHL and NBA franchises against each other.
Joshua Sandler, of the law firm Winstead, is representing the Dallas Stars in their legal dispute with the Dallas Mavericks. Sandler, 46, is a Dallas-Fort Worth native.
Winstead PC
Sandler joined Winstead in October 2022 on a simple condition — the ability to handpick his team. It’s a group of eight attorneys he calls “hungry, hardworking and scrappy” — Frank Carroll, Cory Johnson, David Reynolds, James Snyder, JD Janicek, Ben Hamel, Max Ward and Andrew Patterson.
“[That] has really kind of been everything to me,” he said. “The way in which we have chosen the individuals that are working with our team has been paramount.”
Since 2024, Sandler says his team has gone to trial three times and won each case. The lawyers have prevailed in multiple appeals, including one affirmed by the Texas Supreme Court.
Sandler’s personal policy is to avoid publicly identifying clients, though he said he’s represented athletes, celebrities, Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.
So has his opponent, Babcock, who is known for high-profile cases. Their matchup spans generations and legal styles, and Sandler said he welcomes the challenge.
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“I think in any case that I have, it’s an opportunity to prove the extent of our ability to prepare and persuade and highlight substantively why our clients should legally prevail,” he said.
“I respect that Mr. Babcock has had high-profile successes in the past. Of course, that’s not relevant to the facts of the law at issue. What it does inform me is that he has the requisite skills to be prepared, and you can rest assured, we certainly will be prepared.”
Sandler noted the firms have their similarities despite representing opposing sides. Winstead and Jackson Walker, he said, are among the few remaining Texas-based regional law firms, with deep roots across the state. Winstead’s 300 attorneys are spread across Texas’ major cities, with additional offices in New York and Nashville.
That Texas perspective, Sandler believes, matters in this case, which he views as about far more than one arena.
“My personal motivation in this case is ensuring that justice is served,” he said. “That’s my job.”
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