David Feher
David Feher is a partner in the Litigation Department in Winston & Strawn LLP's New York office and co-chair of the firm's Sports Law Practice. He is one of the leading sports lawyers in the country, with extensive experience in complex litigations, negotiations, and arbitrations involving contract, intellectual property, antitrust, and international issues.

Mr. Feher has been outside counsel for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and the NBA Players Association (NBPA) for many years. He is one of the prime negotiators of the collective bargaining agreements or antitrust settlements in the NFL (1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2011) and the NBA (1995, 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2017).

Mr. Feher has represented clients in many prominent sports lawsuits and arbitrations, including: the Jenkins v. NCAA antitrust action challenging NCAA and major conference restrictions on competition for player services in Division I basketball and Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football; the Oakley/Rory McIlroy/Nike litigation (concerning a right of first refusal in Mr. McIlroy's contract with Oakley, which resulted in a settlement with Mr. McIlroy); the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team in litigation and negotiations with the U.S. Soccer Federation; the Liberty Christian Academy/VHSL litigation regarding the exclusion of a private high school from the Virginia High School League; NHL General Manager Peter Chiarelli in resolving a post-employment legal issue with the Boston Bruins; the NCAA/NIT litigation (which resulted in a favorable settlement for the five New York City colleges and universities that operated the NIT); the Reggie White and Patrick Ewing class actions; the NFL lockout insurance/network TV contract case; the NFL "waived gate" arbitration; the Jeremy Lin "Bird Rights" arbitration; the Drew Brees Franchise Player arbitration; the Michael Vick roster bonus forfeiture arbitration; the Terrell Owens arbitrations; the Arena Football League class action; the Bill Belichick/New York Jets litigation; and the Latrell Sprewell grievance.

Mr. Feher co-led the historic pro bono representation of double-amputee Oscar Pistorius in the successful effort to overturn the ban against Mr. Pistorius competing in IAAF track events and the Olympics (which led to Mr. Pistorius competing in the 2012 London Olympics), and 800M World Champion sprinter Caster Semenya in her successful eligibility dispute with the IAAF.

He was one of the lead lawyers for the NFLPA and NFL players in the New Orleans Saints Bounty Case that overturned the discipline the NFL had imposed on the players for allegedly participating in an undisclosed "pay for performance/bounty" program operated by the team. He was also the principal author of the brief submitted by all of the major player associations to the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark American Needle case, which rejected the NFL's efforts to characterize itself as a "single entity" for antitrust purposes.

Mr. Feher has represented agents and their clients at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Wasserman Media Group (WMG), and other such firms in various matters. He has represented the North American Soccer League (NASL), as well as the Madrid Open and other persons in the tennis industry, and negotiated Avon's sponsorship of the Olympic Games and Avon's licensing contract with Derek Jeter, and other major sponsorship agreement. He also successfully represented noted nutritionist and The New York Times best-selling author Dr. Joel Fuhrman in an arbitration and negotiation regarding the terms of a joint venture.

He successfully defended Avon Products, Inc. against a $100 million false advertising claim in the S.C. Johnson v. Avon Products trial. He has been involved in numerous other major cases, including the NASDAQ price-fixing class action, and the Freeman McNeil/NFL antitrust trial. Mr. Feher represented the New York Stock Exchange in connection with the "decimalization" of NYSE trading operations, and has advised companies involved in price-fixing investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Feher also represented a Turkish company in successfully vacating an arbitration award on grounds of evident partiality. He has represented a number of large U.S. and international companies in various matters, and has extensive experience litigating complex commercial disputes. He has negotiated numerous commercial contracts in the sports and other industries.

Mr. Feher received a J.D. from Duke University in 1984, where he was an article editor for the Duke Law Journal. He received an A.B., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University in 1980.

Steven Fehr
Steven Fehr is an attorney from Kansas City who currently serves as Special Counsel to the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA). In that role he represented the NHLPA during the owner's lockout in 2012-13 and was one of the lead negotiators in the bargaining that led to a new collective bargaining agreement that was reached in January 2013. He continues to work with the NHLPA on a wide range of matters including contract administration, health and safety, and governmental affairs.

Mr. Fehr's work in sports dates back to 1980. Previously as longtime outside counsel to the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), matters he worked on included strikes, lockouts, several rounds of collective bargaining, the collusion cases of the late 1980s, the Mitchell Investigation in 2006-7 regarding the use of performance enhancing drugs, and the events that led to the passage of the Curt Flood Act of 1998.

Gabe Feldman
Gabe Feldman is the Paul and Abram B. Barron Associate Professor of Law at Tulane Law School, the Director of the Tulane Sports Law Program, the Associate Provost for NCAA Compliance at Tulane University, and the co-Founder and co-Director of the Tulane Center for Sport. Professor Feldman has emerged as one of the leading voices in the country in the growing field of sports law. His extensive experience in sports law includes representing a variety of sports entities while he was in private practice, and he continues to act as a consultant for a number of clients in the sports industry.

Professor Feldman joined the Tulane Law School faculty in 2005 after nearly five years as an associate with Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C. Before that, he served as judicial clerk to Judge Susan H. Black of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Jacksonville, Fla. He is regularly quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and other newspapers throughout the country, and he has made numerous appearances on national television and radio. He also currently serves as the on-air legal analyst for the NFL Network.

Professor Feldman is editor of The Sports Lawyers Journal, a law journal devoted to the study of sports law, and The Sports Lawyer, a monthly online newsletter, and was a sports law contributor to the now-defunct Grantland.com and the Sports Law Blog. He is director of publications for the Sports Lawyers Association; co-authored of one of the leading sports law casebooks in the country, Sports Law: Cases and Materials; is one the Articles Review Board for the Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport; and has been published in a variety of journals and periodicals. Much of his writing focuses on the intersection of antitrust, labor, intellectual property law and the sports industry. Professor Feldman also serves as a mediator and arbitrator.

Professor Feldman serves on the board of directors of the Sports Lawyers Association, Walk Again Athletic Warriors and Athletes for Hope, a nonprofit organization created to harness the power of sports to impact social change. He is also the Director of Special Olympics in New Orleans. He is also a member of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.

Professor Feldman teaches Antitrust, Sports Law, Negotiation and Mediation and Contracts. In 2013, he received a President's Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching, a Tulane University recognition of excellence in teaching, learning and research.

Buffy Filippell
Buffy Filippell has been a part of many firsts in her career. And many of those firsts, including the founding of TeamWork in 1987, the first recruiting company to focus on sports executive recruiting, have created a legacy that reaches across nearly every professional sport, multiple collegiate programs and the leading live event producers in the world.

Filippell is one of the most honored and respected leaders and women in the sports world - known by many as the "Godmother of Sport Management" — having not only created TeamWork Online, as a first-of-its-kind mobile talent recruiting system focused on connecting employer to candidates in the business of sports and live events, but also having been the first female agent at IMG and one of the very first recruiters to focus on sports while at Korn/Ferry.

Jen Flynn
Jen Flynn is the Senior Vice President, Business for MLB Advanced Media. In this role, she is responsible for negotiating licensing, distribution and other revenue generating arrangements pertaining to digital assets and other rights controlled by the company and its affiliate, BAMTech, including Major League Baseball and National Hockey League content, and for developing strategy around potential new partnership opportunities for the companies.

Prior to joining MLB Advanced Media in the fall of 2015, Jen held the dual titles of Senior Vice President/Assistant General Counsel for the Boston Red Sox and Senior Vice President/General Counsel for Fenway Sports Management, both subsidiaries of Fenway Sports Group ("FSG"). Over her fifteen-year tenure at Fenway, her responsibilities extended to all of FSG's sports, entertainment and media interests. She played a central role in all complex transactional matters relating to the growth and diversification of the FSG portfolio, including Fenway Sports Management's arrangement to become the worldwide marketing and sponsorship representative for LeBron James; FSG's acquisition of Liverpool Football Club; and Fenway Sports Management's acquisition of fifty percent of a NASCAR racing team (now Roush Fenway Racing). In addition, as the head transactional lawyer for the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management, she was responsible for all commercial dealings of the companies, including all media rights deals, athlete and property representation deals, corporate partnership contracts, venue license agreements and new business venture arrangements. She was also responsible for myriad other legal matters relating to the day-to-day operations of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management, and worked directly with FSG's General Counsel in connection with corporate governance and general corporate matters relating to the organization.

Jen grew up in Wellesley, MA, attended Wellesley High School and Frankfurt International School, and then earned her Bachelor's Degree from Bowdoin College where she was a member of the varsity basketball and softball teams. She received her Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School and is admitted to the Massachusetts Bar. She was selected as a 2011 Forty Under Forty honoree by the Boston Business Journal, and a 2014 Leaders in the Law honoree by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Jen has served on the Board of Directors for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and the Boston Board of Directors for Cradles to Crayons.

Bob Foose
Bob Foose is the Executive Director of the Major League Soccer Players Union, a position he has held since the Union's formation in 2003. During his tenure, the Union has successfully negotiated three Collective Bargaining Agreements, in 2004, 2010 and 2015, each achieved without a work stoppage. It has nearly doubled in size and maintained 100% membership among the player pool in MLS.

These CBAs negotiated by the Union have: (i) established a grievance and arbitration process for players; (ii) implemented a retirement plan with a mandatory league contribution; (iii) more than quadrupled the average player salary; (iv) nearly tripled the minimum salary for senior roster players and more than quadrupled the minimum salary for reserve players; (v) substantially broadened player movement rights, as well as establishing restricted free agency, (vi) increased the group licensing payments due to players more than ten-fold; and (vii) protected players' rights under the workers compensation system.

Dan French

Daniel French is Syracuse University's Senior Vice President and General Counsel.

French's private practice involves complex civil litigation and white collar criminal defense.

Before entering the private sector, French served as United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, where he was the chief federal law enforcement officer for 32 of New York's 62 counties. French also served as an Assistant United States Attorney assigned to the criminal division in Syracuse, and as a confidential law clerk for the then United States District Court Judge Rosemary S. Pooler. In addition, French served as Acting Deputy Staff Director to the United States Senate Committee on Finance, Executive Assistant to United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and as a Professional Staff Member to the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

In 2007 Attorney General Andrew Cuomo appointed French a Commissioner of the New York State Commission on Public Integrity, a position he held for two years. French served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Court Bar Association of the Northern District of New York from 2005 to 2013.

French earned a juris doctor cum laude from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1995, and a bachelor's degree cum laude from the State University of New York College at Oswego in 1987.

Alvaro García-Alamán
Alvaro García-Alamán is in-house legal Counsel for Real Madrid. He deals with most of the legal matters arising at the Club including contractual matters, employment, transfers of players, claims and disputes, civil law and commercial litigation, and arbitration. He also deals with disciplinary law matters before the Spanish Football Association and also with disputes before UEFA (the European soccer federation), FIBA (the world basketball federation), Euroleague (European basketball championship) and FIFA (the world soccer federation). He is also intimately involved in sponsorship, marketing and licensing contracts, and works for the Fundación Real Madrid. Alvaro participated actively in the creation of the European Club Association (ECA) and is an active member of the ECA Legal Panel, as well as a Mediator of the ECA.

Prior to joining the Real Madrid, he ran his own Madrid-based law firm for over nine years where he represented clients ranging from football, handball and basketball players, agents and coaches -in the fields of employment, disciplinary matters, transfer and image contracts-, to top10 ATP tennis players in doping matters, as well as a variety of clients in the civil and commercial fields. Alvaro developed his career by innovating in certain legal fields related to sports, implementing EU Law in Spain with leading cases in football and basketball. Prior to that, he was an Associate in the Madrid office of an international law firm.

He is renowned in the market as an expert in the legal sports field, and as a consequence in 2015 Alvaro was appointed as an Arbitrator of the member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Lausanne, Switzerland) where he is regularly appointed in football related panels.

Alvaro earned his law degree at Universidad Complutense de Madrid and obtained the master's degree in Sport Law in Universidad de Lérida. He is a member of the Spanish Spots Lawyers Association and is also a regular speaker at national and international congress, focusing in different sports law matters. He also teaches Sports

Vince Gennaro
Vince Gennaro is the author of Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball, a consultant to Major League Baseball teams, and the host of a weekly national radio show, Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM radio. He is also the Director of the Graduate Sports Management program at Columbia University, where he is also on the faculty. He appears regularly on TV on MLB Network's studio shows, featuring various topics from the viewpoint of baseball analytics, and is the President of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

This follows a successful business career, which is highlighted by a 20-year career at PepsiCo, where he was President of a billion dollar division. Vince also has experience as a sports entrepreneur startup endeavor early in Vince's career complements his success with a blue chip Fortune 50 company. At the age of 27, he raised capital, led the purchase of a franchise in the Women's Pro Basketball League — the forerunner of today's WNBA — and served as its President and General Manager. Vince has an MBA from the University of Chicago-Booth.

Jeff Gewirtz
2017 Annual Conference Chair

Jeff Gewirtz is the Executive Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Legal & Administrative Officer for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (BSE). Mr. Gewirtz joined the Brooklyn Nets and its affiliated arena operating company in May 2007 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and he was promoted to his current EVP and CLO position in 2010, with his Chief Administrative Officer responsibilities added in January 2016.

Mr. Gewirtz is responsible for advising BSE's Board of Advisory Directors and executive management on key legal, business, and strategic matters for BSE's holdings, including the Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center, the business operations of the New York Islanders, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the NBA D-League's Long Island Nets, and ENTITLE, a venue naming rights and sponsorship sales and advisory joint venture with Cooper Holdings. Through his management of the BSE Legal Department, Mr. Gewirtz has oversight for all corporate, commercial, transactional, litigation, compliance, and day-to-day legal and business affairs for the BSE companies and ventures. Mr. Gewirtz also oversees human resources for the BSE companies and he serves as Corporate Secretary for the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center.

Mr. Gewirtz was a key member of the negotiating team for BSE's most significant commercial initiatives, such as the 2012 relocation of the New Jersey Nets to Brooklyn, development of the $1 billion Barclays Center, team and arena ownership transfer transactions in 2010 and 2016, the current re-development of Nassau Coliseum, development of the Brooklyn Nets new state-of-the-art practice facility, the HSS Training Center, and the launch of business operations for the New York Islanders in connection with the team's relocation to Barclays Center as of the 2015-16 NHL season.

The counsel provided by Mr. Gewirtz covers a broad range of subject matter, such as: acquisition, divestiture, and joint venture transactions; debt and arena bond financings; general corporate governance; lease, licensing, concession, merchandising, and related venue transactions; complex live entertainment and sports content transactions and strategic alliances; collective bargaining; broadcast and digital media rights agreements; negotiation of executive and coaches employment agreements and general employment counseling; sponsorship and naming rights transactions; suite and club seat licensing and related ticketing arrangements; trademark development, prosecution and protection; and the provision of counsel on the rules and regulations of the NBA and NHL.

The current Legal Department led by Mr. Gewirtz was named one of the top 50 in-house legal departments in the United States under the GC Powerlist for 2015, published by The Legal 500 Series. In addition, Mr. Gewirtz was named 2014 Sports Counsel of the Year by the Association of Media & Entertainment Counsel and in 2009 Mr. Gewirtz was selected to the prestigious "Forty Under 40" by Sports Business Journal as one of the 40 top sports executives under the age of 40 in the United States.

Prior to BSE, Mr. Gewirtz served as the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) General Counsel and Chief Legal & Government Affairs Officer where he was responsible for all USOC legal matters, as well as the USOC's government relations activities with Congress and federal government agencies.

Before he joined the USOC, Mr. Gewirtz was Global Marketing Counsel followed by Counsel - sports & entertainment transactions, marketing and media in The Coca-Cola Company's Corporate Legal Division, where he negotiated many of Coca-Cola's most significant sports marketing and media transactions, including its $500 million+ NCAA Corporate Champion marketing and media alliance with CBS Sports. In 2005, as a secondment, Mr. Gewirtz served as Counsel for Coca-Cola's Southeast and West Asia Division, based in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2003, while with The Coca-Cola Company, Mr. Gewirtz was named to the annual list of "Georgia Lawyers on the Rise" by Fulton County Daily Report, Atlanta's legal newspaper of record.

Prior to Coca-Cola, Mr. Gewirtz was Director of Legal Affairs for IOC Television & Marketing Services SA, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he was a primary negotiator of global Olympic sponsorship, technology, and media alliances for the International Olympic Committee and for the Salt Lake and Athens Olympic Organizing Committee, respectively. He has also served as General Counsel for the LPGA TOUR and as Manager of Tournament & Business Affairs with the WTA. Mr. Gewirtz began his legal career as an associate with the New York City law firm of Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller, LLP, where he worked within the firm's Corporate and Advertising Industry legal groups and where he was the designated associate to the firm partner who served as General Counsel of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). In addition, he previously served as pro bono General Counsel for the USTA's Eastern Section.

Mr. Gewirtz was formerly on the faculty of Brooklyn Law School and New York Law School, serving as an adjunct professor of sports law at both schools, and he is currently a Lecturer for the Madrid, Spain-based Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economia for its US-based masters program in global sports law, which is associated with Columbia University's graduate sports management program. He has served as Chair of the Sports Division and was a member of the Governing Committee for the American Bar Association's Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, he sits on the Board of Directors of both the National Sports Law Institute and the Sports Lawyers Association, and he is a Board of Editors member of both the Journal of International Media & Entertainment Law and Professional Sports and the Law. Mr. Gewirtz has lectured extensively, both in the United States and internationally, on a variety of commercial legal and business issues in sport, including before groups such as the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, the Australia and New Zealand Sports Law Association, the British Association for Sport and Law, the Oceania National Olympic Committees, and at the 2003 SportAccord International Convention in Madrid, Spain.

In June 2010 Mr. Gewirtz was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Jewish Vocational Services of MetroWest New Jersey and he is a former Executive Committee member of the UJA-Federation of New York Sports for Youth Initiative.

A native of Baldwin Harbour, New York, Mr. Gewirtz is a graduate of Tufts University, where he was a four-year member and Captain of the Tufts Varsity Tennis Team his senior year, as well as a member of its New England Championship team. In 2016 he was appointed to the Tufts Athletics Board of Advisors. Mr. Gewirtz received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School, where he was the recipient of a three-year merit scholarship and from which he is a two-time recipient of its Alumni Achievement Award in Sports Law.

Mr. Gewirtz lives in Manhattan with his wife, Brooke Raphael, who works for Celgene Corporation. They have one son, Eton.

Leslie M. Gomez
Leslie focuses her practice on the institutional response to sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, child abuse, and other forms of harassment, discrimination, and criminal conduct. Leslie provides consulting, counseling, and legal advice on all aspects of the institutional response to misconduct. She assists institutions in designing effective institutional responses that integrate the complex federal and state regulatory framework with the unique dynamics of trauma and the impacts of interpersonal violence on individuals and communities. Leslie regularly advises presidents, boards, senior leadership, counsel, student affairs, human resources, campus law enforcement, Title IX Coordinators, and other campus partners in implementing trauma-informed, fair, and impartial processes.

Leslie helps institutions develop comprehensive policies, procedures, systems, and training programs in compliance with Title IX, Title VII, the Clery Act, as amended by the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, and state and local laws. Leslie conducts comprehensive policy audits; drafts policies, procedures, and internal operating protocols; develops and trains multi-disciplinary teams; serves as an expert adviser to campus task forces and working groups; consults and advises on Title IX investigation, adjudication and appeal proceedings; and assists educational institutions in meeting federal compliance obligations and responding to investigations by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Clery Compliance Division. She served on the stalking subcommittee of the U.S. Department of Education's Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and has been designated as an approved equity consultant by OCR. In addition to her work on sexual assault and intimate partner violence, Leslie is nationally recognized for her knowledge and experience related to child sexual and physical abuse, child protection and child protective services laws. She conducts training and prevention programs on the identification and prevention of child abuse; provides child protection planning related to background checks, professional boundaries, physical plant, and mandatory reporter policies; coordinates internal investigations with child protective services and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies; and conducts child abuse investigations. Leslie also assists educational institutions in evaluating and responding to historical allegations of abuse in an open and transparent manner designed to promote child safety and welfare. She is a faculty member for ChildFirst Pennsylvania where she teaches forensic interviewing.

Leslie has two decades of experience investigating sex crimes, child abuse, domestic violence, and stalking, first as a career child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault prosecutor, and later as counsel to colleges, universities, K-12 schools, hospitals, summer camps, child-serving organizations, non-profits, community associations, and other institutions. Leslie directs internal investigations; coordinates communications and interactions with law enforcement and related agencies; and advises about the interplay between civil and criminal proceedings. She has led numerous highly complex investigations involving sexual and gender-based harassment and violence and child abuse at educational and religious institutions.

Prior to private practice, Leslie served as an assistant district attorney at the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office for 14 years. She handled complex child abuse, kidnapping, domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault cases for more than 11 years. She regularly prosecuted cases involving very young and especially vulnerable children, children with special needs or disabilities, children who were long-term victims of incest or child abuse, and children who were victims of serial pedophiles and repeat sexual offenders. She served as the chief of the Juvenile Court Unit at the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. She was involved in every aspect of investigation and charging decisions in cases of sexual and domestic violence against minor victims for both juvenile and adult offenders. For more than five years, Leslie oversaw charging decisions and served as a liaison with the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, the Philadelphia Children's Alliance and local hospitals with respect to the investigation and prosecution of allegations of child abuses in Philadelphia County. She also was instrumental in obtaining grant monies and developing the protocol to allow child victims to testify outside the presence of the defendant in the Philadelphia courts.

As the senior prosecutor for child abuse and sex crimes litigation in the Juvenile Division, Leslie directly supervised and mentored more than 100 young prosecutors. She instructed them on pretrial investigation, case preparation, evaluating credibility, trial strategy, ethical issues, and the unique dynamics of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, child abuse, and stalking, including the neurobiological impacts of trauma. She authored numerous training materials and template briefs that continue to be used as the core of the District Attorney's training program. She has a firm grasp on policy and law with respect to competency, taint, prior bad acts, other crimes evidence, tender years hearsay exceptions, rape shield, physical and medical findings of abuse, forensic issues, alcohol facilitated sexual assault, non-stranger sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking.

Leslie presents education and training programs and CLE programs at educational institutions and conferences across the country. She is a regular contributor to the Clery Center, National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), College and University Police and Investigators Conference (CUPIC), Stetson University National Conference on Law and Higher Education, the Virginia Campus Safety Forum, University of Vermont Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference, and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Prior speaking or CLE engagements include the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools, Headmistresses Association of the East, and United Educators. Recent publications include articles in the ABA's Dispute Resolution Magazine and Penn State Law Review, as well as a chapter in Campus Sexual Assault Response Teams: Program Development and Operational Management.

Leslie is a volunteer child advocate attorney through the Support Center for Child Advocates and a member of the boards of the Center City Crime Victims Services and the Joseph J. Peters Institute, a nonprofit providing outpatient assessment and treatment for victims and offenders in the area of sexual abuse.

Leslie received her undergraduate degree from Brown University, magna cum laude, and her law degree from Yale Law School.

Brett Goodman
Brett Goodman serves as General Counsel for the NBC Sports Group. In this capacity, he manages a group of 18 lawyers and other personnel responsible for all legal matters related to each of NBCUniversal's sports-related businesses, including the NBC Television Network, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, a number of regional sports networks located throughout the United States, Telemundo Deportes, and the digital platforms associated with each of the foregoing.

Among other things, Goodman negotiates long-term rights deals with a number of important sports organizations. He has served as lead drafter of NBC's multiple winning Olympic rights bids, and he has led NBC's legal team in groundbreaking negotiations with the National Football League, including the creation of the first-ever "flexible scheduling" concept and the recent addition of "Thursday Night Football." In addition, Goodman has negotiated agreements with the National Hockey League, Premier League, PGA Tour, PGA of America, The R&A, the University of Notre Dame, and other high-profile properties. In furtherance of NBC's Olympic broadcasts, Goodman has represented NBC in numerous foreign countries, lobbying for favorable tax treatment and immigration and labor relief before the governments of Greece, Italy, the People's Republic of China, Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, Brazil, Korea and Japan. He also has handled talent negotiations and other contract and licensing work, along with intellectual property, regulatory, litigation and insurance matters.

Goodman also is among NBC's key liaisons to the International Olympic Committee, United States Olympic Committee, and many domestic Olympic-sport national governing bodies. Goodman assists in maintaining NBC's strong relationships with Olympic athletes and agents in furtherance of NBC's production, programming, digital, marketing and promotional objectives.

Goodman first was employed by NBC after college, when he won an Emmy award as a researcher on the network's telecast of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Working with the network's broadcasters, producers and directors, Goodman compiled statistics and information and helped write for Bob Costas, Katie Couric, Dick Enberg and others.

Prior to re-joining NBC in 2000, Goodman was an intellectual property associate at New York's Dewey Ballantine LLP, where he handled both litigation and transactional matters in the fields of trademark, copyright, patent and internet law for the firm's international and domestic clients.

Goodman graduated from Princeton University in 1990 and is a 1995 graduate of Columbia University Law School.

Evan Green
Evan Green is a Senior Partner at the law firm of Green and Spiegel based in Toronto, Ontario. Evan has been practising immigration law for over 25 years and has extensive experience in all areas of Canadian immigration. Evan has been identified for many years as a leading practitioner in immigration law. Evan is considered a subject matter expert in the field, frequently asked to speak as a panellist, moderator and lecturer. Evan is a regular speaker at the following organizations:

• The Human Resources Professional Association's Annual Conference, considered to be the leading association for Human Resource Professionals in Canada;
• The Canada Employment Relocation Council's Annual Conference as well as their Immigration Symposium;
• The Council for Global Immigration;
• The Toronto U.S. Consulate; and
• The American Immigration Lawyers Association.

In addition to being a much sought after speaker on Canadian immigration matters, Evan appears on television and radio and is often quoted by various media outlets in Canada including the National Post, The Globe and Mail, the CBC, Global News and The Law Times.

Evan is particularly skilled at navigating the issues surrounding the Canadian and U.S. border. Evan's strong understanding of the nuances of U.S./Canadian cross borders issues allows him to provide clear and quick counsel to many companies with business interests in both Canada and the U.S. Evan is a member of the American Immigration Association and, over the years, has held numerous executive positons in the Canadian Chapter including President. Evan also is a leading practitioner in the area of U.S. consular processing and is considered the "go to guy" for many U.S. attorneys who contact Evan on a regular basis regarding processing at the U.S. Consulates in Canada as well as a multitude of issues related to the Canada/U.S. border issues.

In addition to his cross border subspecialty, Evan's expertise includes all areas of Canadian immigration law, including corporate employee transfers, federal skilled worker applications, investor applications, work permits, and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Evan also has particular expertise in NAFTA confirmation exemptions, work permit approvals for strategic, expert and key professional employees and high level executives. Finally, for many years, Evan has enjoyed working with many professional athletes, teams, coaches and sports management to facilitate the ability to compete in Canada.

Paul Green
Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, Global Law Experts and Five Star Law recognize Paul J. Greene as one of the world's leading sports lawyers. Paul handles sports law matters around the world and regularly appears before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.

Paul has prevailed in many high-profile international matters on behalf of athletes. Last year, Paul successfully represented Darya Klishina in her appeal against the IAAF before the CAS Ad Hoc Panel in Rio that enabled her to compete as the only member of the Russian track & field team at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Other high profile international cases where Paul recently prevailed on behalf of athletes include: US Anti-Doping Agency v. Kristen Shaldybin where Paul established that the source of the banned substance the athlete unintentionally ingested was contaminated water resulting in a finding of No Fault and Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport v. Shawn Barber where Paul successfully established that the source of the banned substance the athlete unintentionally ingested was a contaminated kiss resulting in a finding of No Fault.

Paul has taught as a professor of sports law at Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE) in Madrid, Spain, St. John's University School of Law in New York City and his alma mater, the University of Maine School of Law. Paul is a frequent voice at seminars and law schools on sports law issues and a contributor to LawinSport and World Sports Advocate, two of the world's leading sports law publications. Paul is a member of Rex Sport, a worldwide association of sport law practitioners along with the American Bar Association, Forum on Entertainment & Sports and the Sports Lawyers Association.

Mitchell S. Halpern, JD
Mitchell S. Halpern, JD is a Tax Partner in the Private Client Services Group at KLR. KLR is one of the largest regional accounting firms in New England, with offices in Boston, Newport, Providence and Waltham. At KLR, Mitchell specializes in providing tax and other financial services to athletes, entertainers, and their agents. He has serviced this client base for over 30 years. His current clientele includes athletes in all four major sports leagues, as well as athletes that participate in non-team sports.

Mitchell authored and published a chapter on state taxation of professional athletes and has been asked to speak on this topic, as well as other tax and financial issues affecting professional athletes. He is often consulted by sports agents for his expertise in various aspects of the taxation of professional athletes and has been quoted in various newspapers and websites including The Boston Globe, New York Newsday, Sports Agent Blog, and Forbes.com.

He received his Bachelors of Science in Communications Management from Ithaca College in 1980 and his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1983. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and New York, as well as before the United States Tax Court.

Prior to joining KLR, Mitchell served as Director of Sports and Entertainment Services at another large Massachusetts CPA firm and prior to that he served as the Director of Management Services at Bob Woolf Associates, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts working with athletes, media personalities, and recording artists. He is on the Board of Directors of the Sports Financial Advisors Association and a member of the Sports Lawyers Association.

Maureen Hanlon
Maureen Hanlon is a corporate partner in Hogan Lovells' New York office. Maureen focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructuring and commercial transactions. Maureen bridges the gap between law and business. As a lover of sports and all forms of media, keeping up with over two decades of changes in technology and the industry has not been a challenge for her. In her 25 years practicing law, Maureen has bought, sold, financed, reorganized, and brought together numerous domestic and cross-border entities primarily in the sports, media, and entertainment industry.

In addition to providing clients top-notch legal advice on acquisition, joint venture or commercial transactions, Maureen also fully appreciates the broader aspects of how these corporate transactions impact a company's operations. She doesn't leave when the deal closes.

Maureen also believes that lawyers should have a greater impact on the world around them and must invest in our future. She is actively involved in the firm's global and New York pro bono, citizenship and summer associate committees and spends time recruiting, training, and mentoring associates and summer associates.

Representative Experience
Representing Onexim Sports and Entertainment in connection with its joint venture interests and purchase of 100% of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center

Representing Onexim Sports and Entertainment in its acquisition of a majority interest in Nassau Events Center

Large-scale reorganization and split-off of public company resulting in split of News Corporation from 21st Century Fox

Counsel to 21st Century Fox in the launch, acquisition, disposition, and creation of joint ventures for cable channels, content distribution, team and venue ownership and internet

Counsel to 21st Century Fox in respect of international film distribution rights

Acquisition, financing, and sale of fine art, rare books and other high-value collectibles.

Christopher Harrington
Christopher Harrington is Staff Counsel for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland Monsters, Cleveland Gladiators, and Canton Charge. He has served in that role since October 2015. His primary responsibilities include the drafting of all sponsorship, suite license, and concert agreements, among others. In addition, Harrington reviews all vendor agreements and helps manage the organization's insurance program, as well as intellectual property and litigation matters. Prior to joining the Cavaliers organization, Harrington served for three years in the legal department of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which controls and operates the Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center, New York Islanders (business operations), and newly-renovated Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, among other properties. Prior to Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, Harrington was a summer associate for The Madison Square Garden Company and an intern for Innovative Artists Talent & Literary Agency in New York City. Harrington attended Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, graduating in 2012. During his time in law school, Harrington helped launch Cleveland-Marshall's first two (now-annual) sports and entertainment law symposiums and the Great Lakes Sports and Entertainment Law Academy, a joint venture between Cleveland-Marshall and Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

W. Drew Hawkins
W. Drew Hawkins is a Managing Director and the Head of Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment.

Drew has held progressive roles within Morgan Stanley over the past 25 years from his earliest days as a Financial Advisor to his last assignment as Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Drew began his financial services career in 1989 as a Financial Advisor working with a host of clients, some of which included athletes and entertainers. After nine years of production, his success led him to branch management, where he held roles of Sales Manager, Branch Manager and Complex Manager before a promotion to Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Morgan Stanley's Northeast Division.

As a results oriented professional, Drew took on the role of Director of National Recruiting in 2005, where he substantially improved both the quality and quantity of high-net-worth Financial Advisors joining the firm. Two years later he was named Managing Director and Associate Director of the Northeast Division. He is a prior member of the MSWM Operating Committee, New Product Committee and Diversity Committee.

At the merger of Morgan Stanley and Smith Barney in 2009, Drew was selected as Regional Director of the New Jersey Region.

Drew has always had the idea to retrace his early days at the firm and get back to working with athletes and entertainers. Several years in the making, Head of Global Sports & Entertainment is the culmination of a prolific career in all levels of the Morgan Stanley system.

Drew takes pride in providing mentorship to colleagues within the firm. He has been an active member of his community, having served on numerous boards of non-profit organizations. A graduate of the University of Delaware, Drew is an avid Baltimore sports fan and enjoys time with family and friends and helping positively impact the lives of others.

Hugo Hilgendorff
Hugo Hilgendorff is an Executive Director in Morgan Stanley's Wealth Management Field Risk department. Hugo leads the Risk organization's coverage of Private Wealth Management, International Wealth Management, the Global Sports & Entertainment group and Corporate Equity Solutions.

Hilgendorff previously worked as a senior litigator for Morgan Stanley's Client Litigation group (including legacy Smith Barney) from 2005-2011 and also as a Partner at Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C. from 2011-2013, defending Morgan Stanley (and previously Smith Barney) in a variety of customer arbitrations and regulatory matters. From 2013 through 2015, Hilgendorff worked as General Counsel of Lebenthal Holdings LLC, where he was responsible for all legal elements of the securities and investment advisory business conducted through the Firm's broker-dealer, asset management and wealth management divisions.

Terri Carmichael Jackson
Terri Carmichael Jackson was named Director of Operations for the Women's National Basketball Players Association last May. In this role, Jackson is responsible for WNBPA board relations, executive leadership and management, financial governance, and stakeholder outreach. These responsibilities require her to be a good negotiator, creative marketing consultant, listener & problem-solver and all-around fixer.

Jackson comes to the WNBPA after four years with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in Indianapolis, Indiana. In her last position at the NCAA she reported to the Chief Legal Officer/Executive Vice President and served as the Director of Law, Policy and Governance. In this role, she was the primary contact and staff support to university chancellors, presidents and athletics administrators who comprised the Association's highest governing body, the NCAA Board of Governors. Jackson also worked with all divisions of governance (Divisions I, II, III) and association-wide committees to ensure consistency of process and strategic coordination in legislative and policy matters.

Jackson also served as the Associate Director for the NCAA's Office of the Committees on Infractions (COI), where she led the training for members of the Division I and II Committees on Infractions on NCAA enforcement reform. In addition, she was responsible for spearheading the Division I COI membership expansion and outreach initiatives during the first phase of expansion. Prior to her time at the NCAA, Jackson served as Legal Counsel for Athletics and, later, Assistant General Counsel and FOIA Officer for the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). At UDC, she worked closely with NCAA Athletic Department senior staff on Title IX compliance, student-athlete welfare, NCAA rules education and corporate sponsorship agreements.

Jackson has also taught courses on Women in Sport at American University, Trinity University, University of the Incarnate Word and Tulane University. A native of New Jersey, Jackson earned her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and her Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University. She is married to Jaren Jackson, who is a former NBA player. They have one son, Jaren Jr.

Howard Jacobs
Howard Jacobs is a sports lawyer in the Los Angeles suburb of Westlake Village, California, at the Law Offices of Howard L. Jacobs. Mr. Jacobs has been identified by various national newspapers as one of the leading sports lawyers in the United States, and was profiled by USA Today in a feature article titled "Athletes accused of cheating find perfect advocate." His law practice focuses on the representation of athletes in all types of disputes, with a particular focus on the defense of athletes charged with doping offenses. Past clients include tennis legend Maria Sharapova, U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, Olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell Brown, basketball legend Diana Taurasi, UFC star Jon Jones, and many others. He has also represented numerous professional athletes in salary disputes around the world.

Mr. Jacobs has represented professional athletes, Olympic athletes and amateur athletes in disputes involving doping, endorsements, unauthorized use of name and likeness, salary issues, team selection issues, and other matters. He is at the forefront of many cutting edge legal issues that affect athletes, winning cases that have set precedents that have benefited the athlete community. Because of this, Mr. Jacobs is a sought after expert on sports law issues. He is regularly quoted in major newspapers and sports magazines and appears on national and international television and radio shows.

Mr. Jacobs graduated from Florida State University in 1987 and William and Mary Law School in 1990. He ran cross country and track & field for Florida State University and competed as a professional triathlete during law school.

Further information can be obtained at Mr. Jacobs' website, www.athleteslawyer.com.

John Keenan
John Keenan joined AEG in 2003 and serves as the organization's Senior Vice President & General Counsel. In this role, Keenan manages and directs all legal aspects pertaining to AEG's properties, business units, franchises as well as its owned, operated or managed entities in the United States, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America.

His day-to-day responsibilities include negotiating and preparing all agreements and contracts for a variety of AEG's corporate divisions and its affiliated entities including agreements relating to project financing, marketing and sponsorship, naming rights, event licensing, concessions, broadcasting, ticket sales, season ticket licenses, luxury suites, ADA accessibility, venue leaseholds and venue operations. Keenan also oversees professional sports league relationships on behalf of the Company, employment for coaches and other personnel, player agreements, player loan documents as well as various real estate transactions, land use, joint use relationships, and other agreements relating to the creation and operation of AEG-owned franchise and affiliated-venues, while participating strategic negotiations for the aforementioned entities.

Keenan is also responsible for supervising the Company's internal legal department in addition to managing relationships with outside counsel with respect to litigation and specialized issues pertaining to various AEG entities including contractual issues and government projects.

Prior to joining AEG, Keenan served as an associate at the law firm of Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak and Cohen, P.C., in Boston, MA, and Pullman and Comley, LLC in Connecticut.

Keenan earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center where he served as a member of The Tax Lawyer Law Journal. Prior to obtaining his law degree, Keenan attended Amherst College and received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Cum Laude honors and played on the basketball and lacrosse teams.

Keenan lives in Hermosa Beach, CA, with his wife Kristen and two children, Finn (7) and Kaylee (6).

Justin E. Klein
Justin E. Klein is a Partner at Robinson Brog P.C., a boutique commercial law firm in New York City. Klein recently joined the firm to expand the firm's sports and entertainment, intellectual property, and litigation and dispute resolution practices.

Klein advises sports venues, investors, and promoters, nationally and internationally, on sports related issues and has specific expertise in the combat sports space. Klein recently represented a private equity consortium bidding on the multi-billion-dollar acquisition of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Klein also represented clients challenging recently proposed regulations promulgated by the New York State Athletic Commission, and advised and assisted companies with efforts to procure insurance required to carry out boxing events in New York State in 2017. Klein is frequently interviewed by media outlets about sports related legal issues and speaks regularly on panels about legal issues in the sports sector.

Klein advises companies ranging in size from emerging to Fortune 100 with all aspects of their intellectual property portfolios and maintains an active business advisory and litigation practice, representing established and emerging companies in the insurance, pharmaceutical, financial technology, and sports & entertainment sectors. Klein has represented companies in litigation throughout the United States, including through trial, post-trial, and appeal.

Klein has been named to the New York Metro Super Lawyers 2013-2016 lists. In addition, Klein was named to the New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2012 list. Klein has also received recognition for his pro bono service, including the Legal Aid Society Award in Recognition of Outstanding Pro Bono Service.

Klein received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2003 and his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 2000. Klein clerked for the Honorable Mary Ellen Coster Williams of the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, DC.

Zachary Z. Kleiman
Zachary Z. Kleiman is entering his third season with the Memphis Grizzlies as Counsel. In this role, Kleiman serves as the team's in-house legal counsel and, accordingly, is responsible for drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements and providing advice and guidance in connection with a broad range of matters, including finance, employment, tax, corporate governance, media rights, partnership marketing, ticket operations, arena operations, intellectual property and basketball operations. Kleiman also works on various business and basketball initiatives of the team.

Prior to joining the Grizzlies, Kleiman practiced law at Proskauer Rose LLP, an international law firm based in New York. At Proskauer, Kleiman represented clients in the sports industry - including the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball and the Buffalo Bills - in connection with a wide array of corporate matters, including team acquisitions and sales, financings, media rights, sponsorships and other commercial transactions.

Kleiman also brings prior NBA experience to Memphis, having interned for the then-Charlotte Bobcats (Basketball Operations), the Los Angeles Lakers (Public Relations) and the New York Knicks (Basketball Operations). Additionally, Kleiman served as a Law Clerk for the Oakland Raiders.

Originally from Chicago, Kleiman earned his bachelor's degree, cum laude, in psychology from the University of Southern California and his J.D., cum laude, from the Duke University School of Law. Kleiman is a member of the New York State Bar and, in his capacity as in-house counsel of the Grizzlies, is authorized to practice law in the State of Tennessee.

Eleanor M. Lackman
Eleanor M. Lackman is a Partner in the Litigation, Copyright and Trademark practices, where she handles contentious matters and provides strategic counseling on behalf of well-known and up-and-coming clients in the media, entertainment, e-commerce, fashion, sports, technology and consumer products industries.

Eleanor"s litigation practice focuses on intellectual property, entertainment and media disputes in federal and state courts at trial and appellate levels, as well as before arbitral and administrative bodies including the AAA and the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She has particularly deep experience in media and entertainment defense; copyright, trademark, and publicity rights enforcement; and litigation in matters at the intersection of copyright and trademark law and new technology.  Eleanor is admitted to practice law in New York and California, which allows her to provide legal services in the key locations for those in the media, entertainment and technology industries.

Prior litigation experience includes serving as lead trial counsel in a dispute for the prevailing party arising in the apparel industry; arguing and winning a closely watched copyright case at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals; drafting an amicus brief for the winning party in the U.S. Supreme Court; defeating trademark claims asserted against a professional sports team and copyright claims brought against a famous rap artist; and procuring a multimillion-dollar settlement before trial. Eleanor also routinely works with in-house counsel to provide guidance and second opinions on day-to-day matters ranging from risk management issues to strategy in pending litigation.

Described by the client-focused Chambers USA as "a trademark and copyright law expert," Eleanor"s copyright and trademark practice is comprehensive, covering not just litigation, but enforcement, global trademark clearance and prosecution, counseling, licensing, brand strategy, anti-counterfeiting, and internet domain disputes in a variety of industries. She brings a holistic approach to legal services in the copyright and trademark areas, looking at strategic decisions from all sides to help support the client"s legal goals and provide business-aware advice.

Eleanor"s work has garnered consistently strong recognition from clients and peers.  In 2016 alone, she was named by Variety as one of "Hollywood"s New Leaders" (the only litigator to be so named), by Chambers USA as a "Leading Individual" in the fields of copyright and trademark, by Law360 as one of five "Rising Stars" in media and entertainment law, and by Super Lawyers as a New York "Super Lawyer" for intellectual property litigation.

Prior to joining CDAS as a partner in 2011, Eleanor was associated with some of the largest and most well-recognized law firms in the world, where she took integral roles on high-profile IP, media and entertainment matters. While in law school, Eleanor served as Associate Editor of the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal, and she was selected by the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to receive the Milton Pollack Fellowship, which supported her work on a project designated and overseen by the Chief Judge.

Karen Leetzow
Karen Leetzow has 25 years of experience in the areas of intellectual property, litigation, antitrust and general corporate law. As Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), she is responsible for management of the company's legal and risk strategy as well as that of NASCAR's 25 affiliated entities. Ms. Leetzow also directs the day to day operation of the legal department which has staff in three of the company's five corporate office locations. In 2012, Leetzow was named one of the "Game Changers: Women in Sports Business" by Sports Business Journal.

In 2013, Leetzow managed the company's acquisition of the Iowa Speedway, the first time the privately held sanctioning body has purchased one of the track venues hosting events on its national series' calendars. In 2012, Leetzow helped structure the acquisition of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and subsequently oversaw its integration and merger with Grand American Road Racing (Grand Am) creating the single largest sports car sanctioning body in the world - International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). That transaction also included the purchase of a road course at Road Atlanta and historic Sebring International Raceway, as well as an adjacent hotel - another first for NASCAR. Leetzow now serves on the Advisory Board of the new merged entity.

While at NASCAR, Leetzow helped defend the company in cases as varied as complex antitrust attacks on the business model, (Ferko v. NASCAR, Inc. et al; Kentucky Speedway, LLC v. NASCAR, Inc.et al.), to attacks on the league's advertising and promotional restrictions AT&T Mobility, LLC f.k.a. Cingular Wireless LLC v. NASCAR, Inc., to defending the league's substance abuse policy (Jeremy Allen Mayfield and Mayfield Motorsports, Inc. v. NASCAR, Inc.)

Leetzow initially pursued an interest in international law with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs during law school and then spent time with a firm in Bonn, Germany where she utilized her fluency in German to assist in the negotiation of international contracts.

Karen left a commercial litigation practice in Maryland to join the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office where she was a Senior Trademark Examining Attorney. After spending some time in private practice, she joined NASCAR in Charlotte, N.C. in 1999. In 2001, she was promoted to corporate headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla. and in 2002 she assumed additional duties with International Speedway Corporation (ISC).

Ms. Leetzow received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Vermont, in Burlington, Vt. and her J.D. from the American University, Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. She is admitted to the bars of Maryland, the District of Columbia, as well as being an Authorized In-House Counsel in the State of Florida. Karen currently resides with husband Brett and two daughters in Sanford, Fla.

Nicholas Lembo
Nicholas Lembo was graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor of science degree. After receiving his juris doctorate degree in Miami, Florida, he received a masters of law degree in taxation from the Villanova University School of Law. He is a member of the New Jersey, Washington DC, and Florida bars.

He became a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey in 1995 and has served as Counsel to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board since that time.

Nicholas was involved in the drafting and passage of the unified rules for mixed martial arts as New Jersey, in 2000, was the first North American jurisdiction to fully legalize and completely regulate mixed martial arts events. These unified rules of mixed martial arts have been followed by most States, tribes, and several countries. In 2005, Nicholas then authored the creation of an amateur rule set, which has since been adopted by over ten other jurisdictions.

In 2008, in the first use of instant replay in the sport, Nicholas utilized replay to call an unseen tap out and declare the stoppage of a bout.

He was selected as the expert panelist for the discussion of the mixed martial arts documentary film, Renzo Gracie:Legacy, at its debut at the inaugural US Sports Film Festival.

Nicholas has given CLE presentations on drug testing in MMA at Rutgers Law School and on MMA regulation at Monmouth University. He has been an invited guest of the United States Marine Corps to review their martial arts program. He has lectured on MMA health and safety before the Academy of Sports Medicine. He has been an invited speaker at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. He has been a featured speaker at the World MMA Expo held in New York City.

Nicholas has chaired Association of Boxing Commissions MMA committees such as Rules Review, Training and Officiating, Gloves and Equipment, Matchmaking, and Amateurs.

Nicholas has conducted numerous referee, judging and inspecting seminars and has personally appeared, submitted testimony or writings, and/or provided opinions to those involved in the passage and regulation of the sport, in the states of California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington DC and Georgia, at their request. Nicholas also traveled to Moscow, Russia after being asked to act as a consultant to oversee and review the first professional event held there.

Nicholas received an Outstanding Contributions to the Sport of MMA award from the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians. He was also honored by the Action Magazine Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

He has been featured in articles focused on MMA and published in Time Magazine, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and ESPN.

Michael Lenard
Michael Lenard is a member and Vice President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport, the governing board of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and has been President of CAS Ad-hoc Divisions at Olympic Games, Asian Games, the FIFA World Cup and other major events. An Olympic athlete (Team Handball) and among his other international and domestic medals, he is a seven time National Champion and in 1985 was named the Team Handball Male Athlete of the Year and the United States Olympic Committee's SportsMan of the Year for Team Handball. Mr. Lenard has held numerous senior positions in the USOC, starting in its Athletes' Advisory Committee (as a member and then its Vice Chair) and then as USOC Vice President. He also, inter alia, was Chair of the USOC Joint Marketing Committee, founded/oversaw its Athlete Performance Group, and was Chair of its Key Strategies Task Force. With respect to governance and ethics, he was a member of the Olympic Overview Commission to restructure the USOC, was liaison to an Independent Counsel's USOC ethics investigation, provided the lead testimony in Congressional Hearings into the USOC, was legal counsel to the USOC Ethics Committee, and testified on USOC governance reform to the Congressionally appointed Independent Review Commission and the USOC Governance and Ethics Task Force. He was a Member of the Board of Directors (and Audit and Ethics Committee) of the 1996 Olympic Games Organizing Committee.

Mr. Lenard has deep and wide experience in international corporate law and business. He is a Partner in the boutique law firm Wilson Williams and also Senior Adviser to private equity firms and a board member of their portfolio companies. Previously he was Senior Managing Director (later, also Chief Compliance Officer) in William E. Simon & Sons/Paladin Realty Partners, an international private equity firm, and prior to that a Partner in Latham & Watkins, an international law firm. He has served and serves on the boards of numerous domestic and international public and private companies.

He was graduated from the University of Southern California Law School with a Juris Doctor and was Order of the Coif and a member of the Law Review. He was graduated with Distinction from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor's in Business Administration (majoring in both Finance and Accounting) and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi, Beta Gamma Sigma, Beta Alpha Psi and Phi Eta Sigma national scholastic honor societies.

Abraham D. Madkour

Abraham Madkour is Executive Editor of Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, SportsBusiness Daily and SportsBusiness Daily Global.

Mr. Madkour is responsible for determining the editorial content and shaping the editorial direction of the leading publications on the business of sports, while managing the entire editorial staff.  In addition, he oversees all the editorial content for the various conferences produced by Street & Smith's Sports Business Group, including the prestigious World Congress of Sports and Forty Under 40 awards dinner.  Mr. Madkour serves as the lead moderator and editorial spokesman for all of the company's events.

Mr. Madkour joined SportsBusiness Daily as a Senior Staff Writer when the publication launched in August 1994.  He was named Editor-in-Chief in September 1996 and became  Executive Editor of SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily in 2003.

Prior to joining SportsBusiness Daily, Mr. Madkour was a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. In addition to working with Senator Leahy, Mr. Madkour had stints working for the Washington Bullets and the Baltimore Orioles in 1993 and 1994.

He lives in Charlotte, N.C., and is a graduate of the University of Vermont.

Christopher McCleary

Christopher McCleary serves as general counsel and chief ethics officer for the United States Olympic Committee, leading a team of legal professionals responsible for all USOC legal, contract, intellectual property, and dispute resolution matters. Mr. McCleary also serves as corporate secretary for the USOC board of directors. In his role as chief ethics officer, he works with the USOC Ethics Committee to advance USOC's ethics and conflicts of interest policies and practices, and to resolve ethics questions as they arise.

Mr. McCleary oversees the USOC's partnerships with the World Anti-doping Agency, U.S. Anti-doping Agency and Partnership for Clean Competition. He also serves as a member of the Association of National Olympic Committee's Juridical Commission.

McCleary joined the USOC from Visa Inc., where he served eight years as the senior vice president and senior associate general counsel of global brand and client management, in which he led the company's worldwide legal operations in marketing, sponsorships, intellectual property, and client licensing.

Previously, McCleary served as senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Visa International Service Association, focusing on the Visa Worldwide Services legal department. In a prior stint with the company, he also served as senior vice president for Visa U.S.A. Inc., where he led the legal department in all marketing and advertising matters.

In addition to his experience with Visa, McCleary served as general counsel for Move.com and practiced law with Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, concentrating on intellectual property matters. McCleary received a bachelor's degree with honors from the University of Michigan in 1986, and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Michigan Law in 1991.

McCleary and his wife, Kristina Chung, live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with their children, Chase and Caroline.

Richard McLaren, O.C.
An internationally recognized expert in sports law and arbitration, Professor Richard McLaren has spent his career working at the highest levels to protect the integrity of sports. Professor McLaren is involved in the adjudication of sports-related disputes at both the amateur and professional level. As a member and Arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), he has arbitrated key sport cases around the world. As an Ad Hoc Panel Member of CAS, he has participated in five Olympic Games during which he resolved disputes pertaining to anti-doping, athlete eligibility and intellectual property rights.

Professor McLaren has lent his expertise across multiple sports. He has served with distinction as an arbitrator for the National Hockey League dealing with salary arbitrations and Player/Agent disputes for the NHL Players' Association. In 2007, he was a consultant in the independent investigation into the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs by players in Major League Baseball (the "Mitchell Report"). He is currently an Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer for the Tennis Integrity Unit and President of the European Basketball Arbitral Tribunal.

As a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) 2015 Independent Commission, he examined systemic doping and corruption in Russian athletics. In 2016, WADA once again called on his expertise to lead the investigation into allegations of sample tampering at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Richard McLaren is a professor of Law at the Western University in London, Ontario; Chairman Emeritus Advisory Board, National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University; and Special Advisor to Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University. He has published in a wide range of areas, including dispute resolution and bankruptcy. He is also Counsel to McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP and has extensive practical experience as a commercial lawyer and a labour and commercial arbitrator and mediator.

Professor McLaren is a recipient of the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest civilian distinctions. It recognizes exceptional achievement, service and contribution to the country and the international community.

Maya Mendoza-Exstrom
Maya is in her fourth season as General Counsel for Seattle Sounders FC and the middle of her third decade as a fan of Sounders FC. As General Counsel, Maya oversees all legal aspects of both the business and soccer side of the organization. Maya also serves as the corporate secretary and advises ownership and senior leadership in risk management, governance and compliance. In addition, Maya serves as the government affairs director for the organization. Maya regularly works with all seven teams within the Sounders FC organization, whether assisting in international travel for youth academy teams, drafting company policies for both the technical and business operations, leading facilities discussions, negotiating international competition hosting and licensing and supporting the tech savvy business initiatives of the organization.

Sounders FC is committed to lead, serve and invest in the community and Maya takes this responsibility seriously. An experienced non-profit board member, consultant and leader, she was the founding Executive Director of the RAVE Foundation, the official charitable arm of Sounders FC, and she also serves as a board member for the Seattle Parks Foundation, Washington State Legends of Soccer, and is in her tenth year as a Trustee on the Highline Schools Foundation Board.

A former All-American soccer player, Maya spent seven years in a small private practice operating as outside counsel representing a range of companies in business and real estate transactions, intellectual property licensing, employment law, franchise law and litigation. She is a USSF B Licensed coach, and has coached professionally at every level from beginning recreational six year olds to elite youth and college as well as served as a club director of coaching and league commissioner.

When not living and breathing the beautiful game, she's taking her young daughter to soccer practice and with her husband, cheering on the other sports teams in Seattle (Huskies, Seahawks, Reign, Mariners and Storm).

Jayma M. Meyer
Jayma is Counsel at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and a Visiting Clinical Professor at Indiana University. Jayma advocates the power of sport to bring about social change. Her focus is on achieving gender equality, inclusion, safety and integrity in sports through education, activism and litigation.

Jayma received a B.S. from Indiana University in 1975, with high distinction, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1978. She began her legal career as an attorney in the Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission, in Washington, D.C., and moved to private practice in 1981 when she joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City. Jayma established Simpson Thacher's Los Angeles office in 1995 and returned to the New York office in the fall of 1998. She has focused her litigation practice on antitrust and Title IX. A Visiting Clinical Pmfessor at Indiana University, Jayma teaches sports law and public policy, consults on matters impacting student-athletes, and lectures and writes on Title IX, amateurism and ethical issues in sports.

Jayma is on the Boards of the Women's Sports Foundation and National Women's Law Center, a member of the Dean's Council, Indiana University (SPEA), and on several advocacy groups for nonprofit sports entities.

Jayma has been named multiple times a New York Super Lawyer in the categories of Antitrust and Top Women Lawyers, and received the Distinguished Alumni Award fmm Indiana University (SPEA) in 2014.

Jayma was a competitive swimmer holding national age group records and qualifying in the top 10 of the world in butterfly events in the early 1970s.

Matthew J. Mitten
Professor Mitten is the Executive Director of the National Sports Law Institute and the LL.M. in Sports Law program for foreign lawyers at Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served as the Law School's Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from July 2002 to June 2004. He currently teaches courses in Amateur Sports Law, Professional Sports Law, Sports Sponsorship Legal and Business Issues Workshop, and Torts, and has also taught Antitrust Law, Comparative Sports Law, International Sports Law, Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and a Sports Law seminar during his teaching career of more than 25 years.

Professor Mitten earned a B.A. in Economics from The Ohio State University and his JD, magna cum laude, from the University of Toledo College of Law. He is a member of the Order of the Coif and served as a Note & Comment Editor for the University of Toledo Law Review's editorial board. He practiced antitrust and intellectual property law as well as commercial litigation with Kilpatrick Townsend in Atlanta, Georgia, and previously taught at South Texas College of Law in Houston. He has served as a visiting professor at the University of Oregon School of Law and the University of Toledo College of Law and as well as a visiting lecturer in sports medicine at The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine. He has taught United States Sports Law as a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School in Australia (2006, 2008, 2010, and 2013) and is a member of its International Advisory Board for its Graduate Diploma in Sports Law program. He regularly lectures at Western Law School in Canada, and also has taught international and comparative sports law courses at the University of Barcelona in Spain and the University of Queensland in Australia.

Professor Mitten has authored Sports Law in the United States (Wolters Kluwer 2011, 2d. ed. 2014, 3d. ed. 2017) and co-authored a law school textbook, Sports Law and Regulation: Cases, Materials, and Problems (Aspen/Wolters Kluwer 2005, 2d. ed. 2009, 3d. ed. 2013, 4th ed., 2017), and Sports Law: Governance and Regulation (Wolters Kluwer 2013, 2d. ed. 2016). A leading sports law scholar, he has published articles in several of the nation's leading law reviews as well as in medical journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, and is a member of the advisory board for The International Sports Law Journal.

Professor Mitten is an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Lausanne, Switzerland) (serving on the ad hoc Division for the XXI Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia), the American Arbitration Association's commercial, consumer, doping and Olympic sports arbitration panels, and the Ladies Professional Golfers Association's drug testing arbitration panel, and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution Sports Arbitration Panel and Commercial Law Panel. He is the president of the Sports Lawyers Association and serves on its Board of Directors as well as the Advisory Board for the Sports & Society Initiative of The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences. He formerly chaired the American Association of Law Schools' Section on Law and Sports and the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, and served on the inaugural Board of Directors of the Forum for the Scholarly Study of Intercollegiate Athletics at the invitation of former NCAA president Myles Brand.

Professor Mitten testified before a Congressional joint subcommittee regarding proposed federal regulation of ephedrine in August 2003 and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics regarding alternative regulatory systems for college sports in May 2015. He has discussed a wide variety of sports law topics at more than 150 conferences and seminars throughout the United States as well as in Australia, Canada, China, England, the Republic of Korea, and Turkey.

Richard Motzkin
Richard Motzkin, who joined Wasserman in June 2006, serves as a Managing Executive and EVP of the Global Soccer Group. Motzkin is widely recognized as the preeminent soccer agent in the United States and with his Wasserman colleagues in the UK, he helps manage the overall strategy and direction of one of the most successful soccer practices in the world.

From 1992 through 1994, Motzkin served as the first-ever General Counsel and Deputy Executive Director of the US Soccer Federation and before that, Motzkin was an associate at the law firm Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles, where he specialized in sports law and general business/real estate work. Motzkin has been a member of the American Bar Association and State Bar of California since 1989, and he also served as an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School teaching Sports Law.

Motzkin received his bachelor's degree from University of California, Berkeley in 1986 and his law degree from Loyola Law School in 1989, where he was a charter member of the "Order of the Coif" honors society.

Motzkin lives in Los Angeles with his wife Randee and his children Eden, Eli & Sammy.

Maidie Oliveau
Maidie has developed a multi-faceted practice including work in television, streaming, new technology, naming rights, sponsorships and event-related rights, for single sport and multi-sport domestic and international events, professional and "amateur"; acquisitions of sports events and/or clubs; trademark protection; and US and international sports arbitration. Her clients include professional teams and leagues, event and facility owners, sponsor corporations, television and streaming distributors, and Olympic sport governing bodies.

Maidie is recognized as a leading sports attorney by Chambers USA. As noted in Chambers USA, "Maidie is praised as a "commercial and practical" attorney with wideranging experience in numerous areas of sports law." Who's Who Legal has recognized Maidie as one of the "Most Highly Regarded Individuals" in Sports Law. Maidie has been named a "Game Changer" by Sports Business Journal and was honored with the Woman Sports Lawyer Award at the 2012 Sports Lawyer Association conference in San Diego. In 2014, Maidie was honored with the Trailblazer Award at the 6th Annual Kids in Sports (KIS) Circle of Excellence Awards reception.

Since May 1997, she has served as an arbitrator on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In addition, Maidie is on the panel of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the London Court of International Arbitration and has acted as an arbitrator in international commercial AAA cases as well as cases brought under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and the US Anti-Doping Agency protocol. Maidie was appointed as one of 12 arbitrators worldwide on the ad hoc Division of the CAS during the Olympic Games in 2012 in London, 2004 in Athens and in 2000 in Sydney. She was also appointed as one of nine arbitrators worldwide on the ad hoc Division of the CAS during the Olympic Winter Games in 2002 in Salt Lake and in 2006 in Turin.

She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission.

Megha Parekh
In her role, Ms. Parekh is responsible for oversight of all legal matters (including transactions, compliance, disputes, risk-management and government relations), people development and training, information technology and office services. Since joining the Jaguars, Ms. Parekh has worked on team-owner Shahid Khan's acquisition of Fulham Football Club, the $63 million public-private funded improvements to EverBank Field in 2014, and the $90 million project involving renovations to the US Assure Club in addition to construction and the 2017 opening of Daily's Place. Ms. Parekh has also worked on the extension of EverBank's naming rights and selection and engagement of a new food, beverage and merchandise provider for EverBank Field.

Prior to joining the Jaguars, Ms. Parekh worked in the New York office of the law firm Proskauer, which is an international law firm known for its preeminent sports law group. During her time at Proskauer, she worked on public and private acquisitions and financings and securities offerings, including the acquisition of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Browns. While at Proskauer, Ms. Parekh also worked on a variety of matters including public and private company acquisitions and equity and debt financings.

Ms. Parekh was named in December 2012 and 2013 to Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 Sports List, which honored the country's top sports athletes and executives under the age of 30 who "represent the entrepreneurial, creative and intellectual best of their generation." Ms. Parekh has also been named a Woman of Influence (2014) and Ultimate Attorney (2016) since coming to Jacksonville.

Ms. Parekh joined Proskauer in 2009 after graduating magna cum laude from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. While in school she was a sports writer for The Harvard Crimson and served as an intern for the Boston Red Sox. Ms. Parekh serves on the board of the Florida Sports Foundation and works with Women in Sports and Events.

Poonam Patidar
Poonam serves as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriter's counsel, borrower's counsel, and bank counsel in connection with the issuance of tax exempt and taxable financings related to transportation, higher education, health care, economic development, project finance, water, and wastewater. In addition, she represents institutional investors, bond insurers, and indenture trustees in workouts, restructurings, capital recoveries and bankruptcies in numerous sectors, including senior living, health care, multi-family housing, assessment districts, charter schools, and hospitality facilities.

Recognitions & Awards

• The Bond Buyer: Rising Stars Award (2016)
• Chambers USA: Massachusetts (Up and Coming) - Banking & Finance: Public Finance (2014 - 2016)
• Massachusetts Super Lawyers: Rising Star - Bonds/Government Finance (2009 - 2012)

Professional & Community Involvement

• Board Member, Boston Women in Public Finance
• Member, National Association of Bond Lawyers
• Board Member, Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence

Scott Pearson
Scott Pearson focuses his practice on the defense of class actions and regulatory enforcement actions, other complex business litigation, and regulatory compliance counseling. His sports and entertainment clients include NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS clubs, concert promoters, event venues, ticketing companies, and ticket brokers. He has defended a number of high-profile class actions and confidential regulatory enforcement matters arising from ticketing practices; arbitrated a team against team dispute over a player trade; drafted or substantially revised season ticket agreements, single-game ticket language, and payment plans; and counseled teams on regulatory compliance issues associated with ticket sales and other direct-to-consumer operations.

Anna Peniche
Anna Peniche is the representative of LIGA MX before international bodies.

She is a Lawyer with a Master degree in Sports Law and Administration specialized in football, that is why she has been working for the Mexican Football Association during the last 10 years.

Anna Peniche is the LIGA MX Legal Director and is in charge of the legal department, social corporate responsibility and relations among Clubs, authorities and other institutions.

As an active member of the Mexican league, she has been involved in the most important moments of LIGA MX such the great transformation of the league and the big contracts, contributing to create one of the best football leagues of the world.

Recently, She has been appointed as member of the Player Status Committee in FIFA and Single Judge.

Michael T. Perlberg
Michael T. Perlberg is the Senior Vice President/General Counsel and Secretary of Levy and its subsidiary companies-Levy Restaurants, E15, Curiology, Rank + Rally, PSC, and Prom Management. Levy is one of the fastest growing and most critically acclaimed restaurant companies. Named one of the 10 most innovative companies in sports by Fast Company magazine, Levy's diverse portfolio includes award-winning restaurants, iconic sports and entertainment venues, and convention centers, as well as the Grammy Awards, PGA Championship, US Open Tennis Tournament, Kentucky Derby, and NHL, MLB, NBA All-Star Games.

Michael is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Michigan Law School. He began his legal career a transactional attorney with McDermott, Will & Emery. He left MWE in January, 2002 to become General Counsel of Levy. As General Counsel of Levy, Michael is responsible for managing all legal matters for Levy, including negotiating, drafting all legal agreements for the Company, advising and counseling internal clients on labor and employment matters, managing the intellectual property, licensing, and litigation for the Company, and overseeing the Company's compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Michael is an avid sports fan, in particular his beloved Duke Blue Devils. He lives in a Chicago suburb with his wife and their three boys.

Irwin Raij
As Sports Industry Group Co-Chair, Irwin P. Raij has extensive experience advising clients on a wide range of sports business issues, on both the professional and the collegiate levels. He has represented owners and acquirers of professional sports teams, leagues, universities, and state governments. His experience includes matters related to MLB, MiLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, NFL, and EPL, along with major colleges and universities. Irwin also is an owner of the Oklahoma City Dodgers (MiLB), and the MLS Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC).

Irwin has handled new stadium development projects, project program and development counseling, financing, construction, license/lease agreements, construction agreements, management agreements, concessions, merchandising, ancillary development, licensing arrangements, promotional and advertising agreements (including naming rights), sports technology counseling/ventures, ticketing arrangements, stadium service agreements, RSN formation, and television, radio and media rights agreements. A consensus builder, Irwin also has experience successfully negotiating complex public-private partnerships.

Previously, he served as assistant counsel to the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign, responsible for compliance with Federal Election Commission regulations, drafting committee contracts and leases, conducting research and providing other legal guidance. Irwin also served as an attorney in the White House Office of Counsel to the President and later as associate counsel in the White House Office of Counsel to the Vice President.

Irwin began his career as an attorney advisor for the Department of Housing & Urban Development, and returned to that Department to serve as special assistant in the office of the general counsel and as acting managing attorney for the FOIA Department.

Donald Remy
As executive vice president of law, policy & governance and chief legal officer at the NCAA, Donald M. Remy serves as a key legal, policy and strategic advisor to the NCAA president, members of the senior management group, and the divisional governance cabinets, committees and boards. Remy manages and oversees the NCAA's staff that supports the legal, government relations, governance, infractions and sport science programs. Further, he specifically is responsible for guiding an efficient governance structure for Divisions I, II and III, assuring proper adjudication of infractions and assessing the NCAA's immediate and long-term legal challenges and needs. Remy guides key litigation and contract negotiations while building and maintaining productive relationships with local and national policymakers. He is involved in crafting and advocating appropriate policy positions on various issues including academics, amateurism, athletics competition and health and safety while ensuring his reporting departments are servicing and supporting student-athletes, the NCAA and member institutions.

Before joining the NCAA, he was a partner at Latham & Watkins and chair of a global practice group, representing both individuals and corporate clients in sophisticated investigations and proceedings involving compliance with international business statutes. Also, he litigated complex civil lawsuits, advised on crisis management and assisted companies in disputes involving contracts with the federal government. Remy also held high-level positions in the government and corporate environment, including deputy assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice; assistant to the general counsel of the U.S. Army; law clerk to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; and senior vice president, deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer at Fannie Mae. He developed defense and justice positions for the U.S. Presidential Transition Team. He also spent many years volunteering as an Amateur Athletic Union basketball coach in the Washington, D.C. area and serving on boards of many non-profit organizations.

The Louisiana native has a bachelor's degree in political science from Louisiana State University, where he graduated with honors and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He received a juris doctorate from the Howard University School of Law, where he graduated top of his class.

Scott Rice
Scott Rice is the Campus Legal Counsel for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As the chief legal officer for the university and a member of the Chancellor's senior leadership team, Scott's duties include management of in-house attorneys, professional staff, and outside counsel retained for all legal matters arising at the campus. Scott also provides direct advice and counsel to the university in a number of specific practice areas, including athletics, employment, claims and disputes, governance, contracting, capital and infrastructure, business and finance, and investigative matters. Scott joined Office of University Counsel in 2005 and was named Campus Legal Counsel in 2011. Prior to joining the University, Scott had significant experience at a national architecture and engineering corporation and in all three branches of Illinois State government, including as an aide to former Governor Jim Edgar and as a clerk in the Illinois Supreme Court. Scott is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and earned his law degree at Southern Illinois University.

Allison Rich J.D., Ed.D.
2017 Annual Conference Co-Chair

Allison Rich, a member of the Sports Lawyers Association Board of Directors, has over 20 years of experience as an intercollegiate athletics administrator. She has significant leadership and decision-making experience having served at the NCAA national office and at both large state and small private FBS, FCS and Division I institutions, in all areas of college athletics. Rich is currently the Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) at her alma mater, Princeton University. She also speaks regularly on college athletics and related legal and sports law issues and teaches various law classes.

Rich previously served as an Athletics Consultant with JMI Sports LLC, providing evaluation, planning, review, audit, strategic analysis and guidance to university athletic departments and intercollegiate conferences to help them meet their diverse and complex needs. She continues to provide college athletics consulting and speaking services independently.

Prior to working as a consultant, Rich was the Senior Associate Director of Athletics for External Affairs/SWA at Florida State University where she was responsible for all external functions of the department. During her tenure at FSU, the institution experienced unprecedented growth and success in marketing, promotions, sponsorships and ticket sales, created a comprehensive social media presence, and developed both an outbound ticket sales staff and an advance group sales program.

Rich served as Deputy Director of Athletics/SWA at California State University, Fullerton, and held senior administrative positions at the University of the Pacific and the NCAA National Office. She earned her bachelor's degree at Princeton University, her Juris Doctorate at Chicago-Kent College of Law, and her Doctorate in Educational Administration at the University of the Pacific. She is a Sports Management Institute Executive Program graduate. Licensed to practice in the State of Illinois and a qualified arbitrator in the State of Florida, Rich is also a member of NACDA, NACWAA, and the American, Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations.

Ryan M. Rodenberg
Ryan M. Rodenberg is an assistant professor of sports law analytics at Florida State University. Prior to academia, he worked as associate general counsel at Octagon in McLean, Virginia. His recent scholarship has been published in the Harvard Business Law Review, Stanford Law & Policy Review, Journal of Prediction Markets, Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law, Journal of Labor Research, Journal of Sports Economics, Columbia Journal of European Law, British Journal of Sports Medicine, Gaming Law Review and Economics, and International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Legal Aspects in Sports, Journal of Sports Analytics, and Journal of Applied Sports Management. He regularly writes about gaming-related issues for ESPN. He earned a JD from University of Washington-Seattle and PhD from Indiana University-Bloomington. He played varsity tennis at Creighton University and double majored in economics and finance.

Scott Rosner
Scott Rosner is a Practice Professor in the Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Faculty Associate Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative. He teaches courses in Sports Business Management and Negotiation and Dispute Resolution to undergraduate and MBA students, and has taught Sports Law at both Wharton and Penn Law School. He is a five-time recipient of the prestigious Whitney Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching (2006, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2017). He is the co-host of the Wharton Sports Business Show, a weekly look at the business of sports on SiriusXM's Business Radio (channel 111), which can be heard on Tuesdays from 4-5 pm (Eastern). Rosner is also the Academic Director of the Wharton Sports Business Academy, a summer program for rising high school juniors and seniors. Prior to being promoted to his current position in July 2016, he was a Practice Associate Professor from July 2013 - June 2016, a Practice Assistant Professor from July 2010 - June 2013 and a full-time Lecturer in the same department from July 2002 - June 2010. He has served as the Faculty Associate Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative since its inception in 2004 and served as the Faculty Mentor to the University of Pennsylvania's men's basketball team from 2003 - 2008. .

Professor Rosner has led consulting projects with a variety of clients both in his role as a faculty member leading student project teams and as the Principal of Hudson Sports Consulting, a sports advisory firm that provides a wide range of services in the business and legal aspects of the sports industry. Clients include: the PGA Tour, Adidas, Soccer Without Borders, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the National Football League (multiple engagements), Major League Baseball (multiple engagements), Northwestern University, the Philadelphia 76ers (multiple engagements), the Detroit Pistons, the United States Tennis Association, Madison Square Garden Sports, the Philadelphia Eagles (multiple engagements), the New York Jets (multiple engagements), FedEx, AT&T, New York Road Runners, Philadelphia Sports Congress, Red Bull, the Philadelphia Union (MLS) (multiple engagements), AVP Tour, AOL Sports, NBA Developmental League, Sports Capital Partners (Real Salt Lake), USA Football, Cloud 9 Skiing, San Diego State University, and The Sacks Group.

Rosner is the lead author of "The Business of Sports," a leading textbook in its second edition that synthesizes a collection of the leading scholarly sports business articles, the first such volume in the field. In addition, he has published numerous articles in highly regarded law reviews and journals and has made numerous presentations at academic conferences. His expert views have been presented on multiple occasions in Sports Illustrated, Sports Business Journal, ESPN.com, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, National Public Radio, MSNBC and CNBC.

An avid runner who has completed two marathons and several half-marathons, Professor Rosner has also been an active member of the community. He has taught a weekly law class to high school students, and has coached in both inner-city and suburban youth soccer programs, including a position in the pilot program of the Nike P.L.A.Y.Corps..

Professor Rosner received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, an M.S. in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan. He is a native of Gladwyne, Pennsylvania and currently resides in northern New Jersey with his family. His hobbies include reading, running and playing soccer.

Kevin R. Schulz
Kevin R. Schulz is co-chair of Foley's Sports Industry Team and his practice focuses in the areas of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and commercial transactions. He has extensive experience in the sports industry, where he has represented and counseled a number of clients, including professional sports teams, colleges, sponsors, owners and acquirers of professional sports teams, a professional sports league, sports technology companies, and media companies.

Representative sports matters include the following, among others: (i) representing Senator Kohl in the sale of the Milwaukee Bucks, (ii) representing Guggenheim Baseball Management in its record-setting acquisition of the Los Angeles Dodgers, (iii) representing one of the investors in the investment group that acquired a majority interest in Swansea City of the English Premier League, (iv) representing the University of Oregon in its multimedia rights deal with IMG, (v) representing the University of Miami in the naming rights deal for its basketball arena, (vi) representing Syracuse University in its multimedia rights deal with IMG, (vii) representing Rangers Baseball Express in its acquisition of the Texas Rangers, (viii) representing the seller of a significant minority interest in the Cincinnati Bengals, (ix) representing the Ricketts family in its acquisition of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, (x) representing the Milwaukee Brewers in the sale of the club to Mark Attanasio, and (xi) representing professional sports teams in their media rights deals.

Mr. Schulz also serves the role of outside general counsel for a number of private companies, routinely advising them in connection with a variety of commercial matters.

Mr. Schulz was selected to serve on the 2017 Law360 Sports Editorial Advisory Board. The purpose of the editorial advisory board is to provide feedback on Law360's coverage and to gain insight from experts in the field on how best to shape future coverage. He has been quoted, mentioned, or featured in numerous articles regarding sports industry matters, including articles in Bloomberg Business, SportsBusiness Daily, The Am Law Daily, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Law360, Notre Dame Magazine, The American Lawyer, Wisconsin Lawyer, and Wisconsin Law Journal. In addition, he is a frequent speaker on M&A and sports law matters for national programs and universities, including Marquette University, Tulane University, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, University of California (Berkeley), and the Corporate Ticket Impact Conference (CTIC), among others.

Mr. Schulz is the author of "Due Diligence In Acquiring A Pro Sports Team," Law360 (February 2011), and "Bankruptcy of a Professional Sports Franchise and the Implications for the Franchise and Its Players," DePaul Journal of Sports Law & Contemporary Problems (August 2012).

Maacah Scott
Maacah Scott is Staff Counsel for the Arizona Diamondbacks. She joined the organization in January 2014 as the legal intern and worked her way to counsel. Scott drafts and negotiates contracts with employees, sponsors, vendors, and independent contractors. Scott also handles issues related to trademarks, international relations, risk management, and assists with litigation.

Scott is an associate professor at Arizona State University, where she teaches Ethics and Legal Issues in Sports. Scott spent 2008-12 as a Paralegal for Brothers & Thompson, P.C., where she assisted in the litigation areas of employment and labor law, real estate, and products liability. While a Paralegal, Scott was a professional cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls.

Scott earned a B.S. from Tennessee State University, where she was a collegiate dancer. She received her J.D. from Arizona Summit Law School. Scott frequently volunteers at community events with young children and speaks with young adults about career options. Scott is Co-Chair of the Entertainment and Sports Committee for the ABA Young Lawyers Division. Scott was also recently recognized by the Greater Phoenix Urban League Young Professionals as one of the Valley's Top 40 Diverse Leaders Under 40, representing the height of achievement in business and community service.

Justin M. Swartz
Justin M. Swartz, a partner at Outten & Golden LLP in New York and Co-Chair of its Class Action Practice Group, represents employees in class action wage/hour and discrimination cases. He is also Co-Chair of the firm's Public Interest Committee.

Mr. Swartz has been lead counsel or co-lead counsel in dozens of nationwide wage theft class and collective actions on behalf of workers in a wide variety of industries. He has represented thousands of workers in unpaid overtime lawsuits challenging exemptions; independent contractor, intern, volunteer, and other non-employee labels; off-the-clock and time shaving practices; and other methods of avoiding statutory wage and hour obligations. He has also represented thousands of restaurant workers in tip-theft and minimum wage cases.

He has also represented workers in employment discrimination class actions claims against employers that have refused to hire minorities with criminal records and companies that have engaged in systemic race and gender discrimination. He has also represented individual plaintiffs in individual race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and national origin discrimination cases.

Mr. Swartz is active in bar associations including the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law where he has been co-chair of the Section's CLE/Institutes and Meetings Committee, co-chair of the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity Law, and co-chair of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee.

Mr. Swartz frequently works with non-profit organizations on public interest matters. He has co-counseled with, and performed pro bono services for, Make the Road New York, The Legal Aid Society, South Brooklyn Legal Services, Manhattan Legal Services, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Legal Momentum, NYLAG, the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, and MFY Legal Services, among others. Mr. Swartz is also part of the Lambda Legal Cooperating Attorney Network.

Mr. Swartz joined Outten & Golden LLP in December 2003 after representing workers as an associate at Goodman & Zuchlewski, LLP in New York and at Stowell & Friedman, Ltd. in Chicago.

He graduated from DePaul University School of Law with honors in 1998.

DeMaurice Fitzgerald Smith
DeMaurice Fitzgerald Smith is the Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).

On August 4, 2011, Smith signed a 10-year Collective Bargaining Agreement with NFL management, leading the Players through the owners' 132-day lockout. The new CBA codifies new health and safety protocols for Players, achieved longer off-seasons, significantly reduces the amount of contact during practices, provides for unannounced inspections of training camps, creates the first compliance and accountability structure for NFL medical personnel, and provides the Players' with their highest share of TV contract revenues in history.

Prior to his post at the NFLPA, Smith served as a Partner in the law firms of Latham & Watkins, LLP and Patton Boggs, LLP, in Washington, D.C. where he represented corporations, boards of directors and senior executives in civil and criminal matters. Smith was an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia and was Counsel to then-Deputy Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.

Mr. Smith is a 1989 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and a 1985 graduate of Cedarville University.

Gina Maisto Smith
Gina focuses her practice on the institutional response to sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, child abuse, and other forms of harassment, discrimination, and criminal conduct. Gina provides consulting, counseling, and legal advice on all aspects of the institutional response to misconduct. She assists institutions in designing effective institutional responses that integrate the complex federal and state regulatory framework with the unique dynamics of trauma and the impacts of interpersonal violence on individuals and communities. Gina is frequently called upon to advise institutional clients including presidents, boards, senior leadership, and counsel on the complex intersections of trauma-informed, fair, and impartial processes with the intersecting legal landscape.

She regularly advises educational and child-serving institutions including public and private K-12 schools and colleges and universities about policies, changes in the law, and investigations into allegations of child abuse and sexual misconduct, including sexual violence. She regularly conducts policy audits and assists in the development of policy and the design and implementation of internal operating procedures. She conducts training for K-12 administrators and multiple university constituencies, including Title IX coordinators, sexual assault response teams, judicial hearing boards, investigators, and members of the campus community.

Gina assists clients with the development of comprehensive policies, procedures, systems, and training programs in compliance with Title IX, Title VII, the Clery Act, as amended by the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, and state and local laws. Gina conducts comprehensive policy audits; drafts policies, procedures, and internal operating protocols; develops and trains multidisciplinary teams; serves as an adviser to campus task forces and working groups; consults and advises on Title IX investigation, adjudication, and appeal proceedings; and assists educational institutions in meeting federal compliance obligations and responding to investigations by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Clery Compliance Division. She served on the training subcommittee of the U.S. Department of Education's Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and has been designated as an approved equity consultant by OCR. In addition to her work on sexual assault and intimate partner violence, Gina is nationally recognized for her knowledge and experience related to child sexual and physical abuse, child protection, and child protective services laws. She frequently advises clients in evaluating and responding to historical allegations of abuse in a legally informed and open and transparent manner designed to promote child safety and welfare. Her experience includes several high-profile external investigations for clients including the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, health care institutions, daycare centers, summer camps, and K-12 schools. Gina conducts training and prevention programs on the identification and prevention of child abuse; provides child protection planning related to background checks, professional boundaries, physical plant, and mandatory reporter policies; coordinates internal investigations with child protective services and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies; and conducts child abuse investigations.

Before entering private practice, Gina spent nearly two decades in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office where she investigated numerous cases, handled more than 100 jury trials, and developed unmatched experience in the investigation and prosecution of sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence. She also trained prosecutors, investigators, and police handling the most difficult aspect of sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence investigations.

As the senior prosecutor for child abuse and sex crimes litigation, Gina instructed on pretrial investigation, case preparation, evaluating credibility, trial strategy, ethical issues, and the unique dynamics of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, child abuse and stalking, including the neurobiological impacts of trauma. She authored numerous training materials that continue to be used as the core of the District Attorney's training program. She has a firm grasp on policy and law with respect to competency, taint, prior bad acts, other crimes evidence, tender years hearsay exceptions, rape shield, physical and medical findings of abuse, forensic issues, alcohol-facilitated sexual assault, non-stranger sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking.

Gina currently presents education and training programs and CLE programs at educational institutions and conferences across the country. She is a regular contributor to the Clery Center, National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), College and University Police and Investigators Conference (CUPIC), Stetson University National Conference on Law and Higher Education, the Virginia Campus Safety Forum, University of Vermont Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Prior speaking or CLE engagements include the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools, Headmistresses Association of the East, and United Educators. Recent publications include articles in the ABA's Dispute Resolution Magazine and Penn State Law Review, as well as a chapter in Campus Sexual Assault Response Teams: Program Development and Operational Management.

Gina served for more than a decade as an adjunct professor at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She has served as a mentor for secondyear law students through the Temple Summer Professional Experience Curriculum, a domesticviolence protocol trainer at the Philadelphia Police Department, and as a guest speaker educating local high school, college, and law students about sexual assault, domestic violence, and legal career topics. Gina is an adviser to the ALI Project on Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct on Campus: Procedural Frameworks and Analysis. In addition to publishing several recent articles on Title IX and related issues, in June of 2016, Gina presented at the New York Times Higher Education Leaders Forum. Currently, Gina serves on The Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law on the board of directors and previously served on The University of Pennsylvania's Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice and Research. Gina received her undergraduate degree from Saint Joseph's University and her law degree from Temple University School of Law.

Debbie Spander
Debbie Spander joined Wasserman in 2012 and serves as Senior Vice President of Broadcasting and Coaching. In this role, Debbie focuses primarily on representing on-air talent, including former athletes, female sportscasters and multimedia journalists, as well as NBA coaches. She specializes in helping athletes transition to post-playing media and coaching careers and secures broadcast, coaching and marketing opportunities for clients, negotiates deals and provides overall career guidance.

Since joining Wasserman, Debbie has grown the Broadcasting and Coaching practice from five clients to 50 and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2016. Her broadcast and media clients include Aaron Boone, Brent Barry, Frank Thomas, Candace Parker, Brian Scalabrine, Antawn Jamison, Ned Colletti Marc Spears, Ric Bucher, Jonathan Abrams, Stewart Mandel, Eric Wynalda, Jason Reid, Alyssa Roenigk, Nicole Zaloumis, Shane O'Donoghue, Juli Inkster, Laura Britt, Kristen Kenney and David Fay. She also represents Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg and newly hired Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton in both their coaching contracts and marketing partnerships.

Debbie began her career at Fox Sports Net, where, as VP of Business and Legal Affairs, she structured, negotiated and administered telecast licenses, talent deals and marketing agreements for FSN, Fox Sports and FX. Debbie was also VP, Business Affairs at MTV Entertainment, the digital, sports and comedy division of Viacom.

In 2016, Debbie was named to SportsBusiness Journal's Game Changers list and Multichannel News' Women in the Game. She currently serves on the Board of Directors and chairs the marketing and PR committee at the Sports Lawyers Association. She also sits on the Board of Directors at Westcoast Sports as well as the Marquette Sports Law Institute, is a frequent speaker at sports business and law conferences, and is a guest lecturer at UCLA and Arizona State's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.

She is a graduate of Stanford University and the UCLA School of Law and lives in Santa Monica, California with her husband and daughter.

Stephen Starks
Stephen Starks serves as Vice President of Promoter Relations for INDYCAR, LLC. In his current role, Stephen manages INDYCAR's schedule development, including identification of new INDYCAR race venues and the negotiation of agreements with the promoters who control the tracks at which INDYCAR races. He also serves as the primary business contact for INDYCAR to all the promoter and track personnel in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Prior to being promoted to VP of Promoter Relations for INDYCAR, Stephen spent two years as Deputy General Counsel for Hulman & Company, the parent company to INDYCAR, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IMS Productions, and Clabber Girl. As Deputy GC, Stephen worked on a variety of complex legal issues across the Hulman companies and drafted and negotiated agreements from those related to large motorsports events and concerts at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to television production agreements for IMS Productions and food manufacturing agreements related to Clabber Girl.

Prior to joining Hulman & Company, Stephen spent over two years as an associate at the Indianapolis law firm, Kroger, Gardis and Regas, LLP (KGR), where he concentrated in the areas of Sports & Entertainment and Arbitration, and represented professional sports teams and athletes, and, before that, he spent almost four years as the Legal Affairs Director for the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) where he was involved in the resolution of more than 100 sports doping cases and took part in at least 20 contested arbitration hearings before the American Arbitration Association and Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Immediately following law school, Stephen served as a law clerk for former Indiana Supreme Court Justice Theodore Boehm.

Stephen received his law degree from the Valparaiso University School of Law in 2006 and his undergraduate degree from Drexel University in 2001. While an undergraduate, he was a four year member of the school's NCAA Division I basketball team. He was the America East Conference scoring leader and a unanimous first team all conference selection in 2001.

Jonathan Stoler
Jonathan Stoler is a seasoned labor and employment attorney with over 20 years of legal experience. He is a partner in Sheppard Mullin's New York office and Co-Chairs the firm's Global Labor and Employment Practice Group. Mr. Stoler's practice includes the defense of class/collective action and single plaintiff wage and hour, discrimination and wrongful discharge claims, in addition to non-competition, whistleblower, sexual harassment and related claims. He regularly handles labor and employment litigations in federal and state courts, in arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and in proceedings before various administrative agencies. Mr. Stoler also assists clients in traditional labor matters including collective bargaining negotiations, labor arbitrations, and all stages of the labor election process, including election campaigns and hearings before the National Labor Relations Board. He regularly counsels both domestic and international clients regarding the preparation and administration of personnel policies and provides advice to clients regarding reductions-in-force, discipline and discharge, employee disability and leaves of absence issues. He also advises management on the labor aspects of mergers and acquisitions and the extraterritorial application of U.S. laws. He is published and quoted frequently on a variety of domestic and international labor and employment law issues, and is a frequent speaker on labor and employment developments. Mr. Stoler represents many notable clients in the entertainment, media and sports industries.

Kevin Sweeney
Kevin Sweeney is the Vice Chair of the Corporate & Transactional Practice Group at Polsinelli. Over the past 30 years, he has been actively involved in representing collegiate conference and amateur sports organizations, including negotiation of more than $5 billion of media rights agreements; formation of collegiate conferences and numerous membership realignment transactions; interface with more than 30 university conference members on corporate governance and other membership matters; negotiating complex venue, sponsorship, and financial contracts and IP prosecution and licensing transactions; and managing industry-wide antitrust, labor and employment, and mass-tort litigation. He began his career representing the Big 8 Conference, formed and has represented since its inception the Big 12 Conference, and has served as counsel to Conference USA for more than 10 years. Kevin also has been involved in the formation and sale of a number of Collegiate Postseason Football bowl games, including the Texas Bowl, the Heart of Dallas Bowl, the Bahamas Bowl, and the Champions Bowl/Sugar Bowl, and he represented the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations (the NFHS) in structuring and financing its digital media rights distribution platform. He is a regular speaker on amateur sports topics at national legal and sports industry conferences.

Richard M. Thigpen
2017 Annual Conference Co-Chair

Richard M. Thigpen joined the Panthers in July, 1997, following 14 years in private practice. While in private practice, Richard assisted the Richardson family as they became the first ownership group to acquire an NFL expansion franchise and build a privately funded stadium at the same time. He became General Counsel at the end of May, 1998, and is involved in all aspects of the business, including contract negotiations and drafting, governmental affairs, trademark issues and employment matters. He has served as a board member and chair of the Council for the Sports and Entertainment Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, board member and chair of the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation, board member and chair of the North Carolina Travel & Tourism Coalition, and has been an adjunct professor at Charlotte School of Law. He has also been active in his community, serving on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations. Richard received his undergraduate degree from Duke University, his law degree from Campbell University, and a Masters of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University.

William L. Traurig
Mr. Traurig is Sr. Vice President and General Counsel for the NHL Carolina Hurricanes and the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. He is responsible for managing all legal matters for the Hurricanes and PNC Arena and serves as a legal consultant to the organization's affiliated entities as well as the liaison between the organization and its outside counsel. Mr. Traurig is actively involved in government relations and directs the Hurricanes' lobbying efforts. For nearly 15 years, Mr. Traurig was also responsible for the accounting and tax management of the entire organization and the financial management of all aspects of PNC Arena operations including food service, parking, merchandise, and box office.

Mr. Traurig earned his Juris Doctor degree at North Carolina Central University School of Law where he served as Managing Editor of the Law Journal and graduated Magna Cum Laude. He earned his Masters of Business Administration from Clark University. He is licensed to practice law in North Carolina.

Mr. Traurig is a past Chair of the Sports & Entertainment Law section of the North Carolina Bar Association. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Travel and Tourism Coalition, and the Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary. He is also a member of the Sports Lawyers Association and the Sports & Entertainment Law division of the American Bar Association.

Travis T. Tygart
Travis T. Tygart became Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in September of 2007. In his fifteen years at USADA he has also served as the Director of Legal Affairs and as Senior Managing Director & General Counsel; prosecuting cases on behalf of clean athletes before the American Arbitration Association and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

As CEO, Tygart works closely with the USADA Board of Directors to carry out the organization's mission of preserving the integrity of competition, inspiring true sport, and protecting the rights of athletes. Tygart was actively involved in drafting the USADA Protocol for Olympic Movement Testing, the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and as CEO he has injected a fresh passion and energy into the fight against doping, including reaching out to athletes and embracing them as part of the solution.

Tygart has served as an advocate for the integrity of sport and clean athletes, testifying in front of various Committees of the U.S. Congress, including the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport,the need forhGH testing in all sports, regulation of the supplement industry, and the ratification of the UNESCO international treaty against doping in sport. Tygart has also testified internationally in front of Committees of the EU Sports Ministers, the German Parliament and the French Senate about creating effective anti-doping policy and on the issues surrounding doping in sport.

Under Tygart's leadership, USADA's efforts to protect clean athletes have included cooperating with Federal authorities on numerous investigations, including the international steroid bust, Operation Raw deal and the international doping conspiracy involving the BALCO laboratory in San Francisco.Tygart led the investigation into the US Postal Service Pro-Cycling Team Doping Conspiracy and the Lance Armstrong case. Tygart has led a group of National Anti-Doping Agencies following the investigation and publication of widespread doping in Russia in an effort to strengthen the global anti-doping movement to better protect all athletes. Tygart's tenure as CEO also produced the groundbreaking research on the importance of true sport, "What Sport Means in America," and the "True Sport Report" and has seen the launch of USADA's True Sport initiative.

Tygart has been an expert presenter at many national and international conferences and symposiums. He has also served on various committees and boards including, the Board of Directors for the Sports Lawyers Association, the Board of Governors of the Partnership for Clean Competition, the Society for Major League Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches, the House Government Reform Committee's Zero Tolerance Roundtable, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Agencies and was appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency as the Vice-Chair for its Independent Observers Team, which monitored the doping control and legal processes at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Tygart has been recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the 50 Most Powerful People in Sports; named to the TIME 100 list of most influential people in the world for 2013; named one of the top 12 World Sports Personalities of the Year by Sport Intern; one of the World's Most Influential Sports Personalities by Inside Sport and was one of the Colorado Lawyers of the Year named by Colorado Law Weekly. Tygart has also published numerous papers and law review articles on topics including, Title IX, antitrust, and doping in sport.

Originally from Jacksonville, Fla., Tygart graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in philosophy,and in 2010 received the University's Distinguished Young Alumni Award. Tygart went on to get his J.D. from Southern Methodist University in 1999, graduating Order of the Coif. He also was awarded the SMU Law School's Distinguished Alumni Award. Tygart is married to Nichole and they have three children ages 15, 13 and 10.

Ted Tywang
Ted Tywang is entering his second season with the Cleveland Browns as Director, Legal Affairs. In this role, Tywang serves as the team's in-house legal counsel and is responsible for providing advice and guidance covering a wide range of subject matter across the Browns' business, including corporate governance, finance, insurance, employment, corporate partnerships, ticketing & suites, media rights, stadium operations, intellectual property, litigation and government affairs. He is also intimately involved in various other Browns business initiatives.

Prior to joining the Browns, Tywang was a corporate associate in the sports law group of Proskauer Rose, an international law firm headquartered in New York.  At Proskauer, he had a broad-based sports and media practice and represented clients, such as the NBA, the NHL, MLS, NASCAR, the Big East Conference, the Buffalo Bills, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Florida Panthers, Time Warner Cable (now Spectrum) and Cox Communications, in connection with a variety of corporate matters, including team acquisitions and dispositions, expansions, media rights transactions, financings, sponsorship agreements and corporate governance.  Tywang is a member of the New York State Bar and, as in-house counsel for the Browns, is also authorized to practice law in the State of Ohio.

Tywang earned his bachelor's degree, cum laude, in government from Georgetown University, where he was also a four year starter and senior captain on the men's tennis team.  Tywang received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and President of Columbia's Entertainment and Sports Law Society.  While in law school, Tywang also interned at the NHL and the NFL.

A native of Nashville, Tywang currently resides in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland with his wife, Bridget, and one-year old daughter, Frankie.

Laura Warren
Laura is the primary legal advisor to the University's Athletics Department and provides advice and counsel on a host of athletics and risk management issues. Laura has advised on apparel, equipment, sponsorship and vendor contracts; athletic camp operations; broadcasting rights; media relations; coaching and employment matters; athletic facility operations; NCAA compliance and litigation; sports medicine; and Title IX. Laura also manages the University's public policy practice assessing the development and impact of statutory and regulatory developments in higher education and advises the University regarding information privacy and data security matters. Laura is an advocate for women's sports and serves as a board member for Girls in the Game, a non-profit that educates underserved girls on sports, nutrition, and leadership, as well as Vice President and General Counsel of the Women in Sports and Events professional association's Chicago chapter. Laura is also a member of the ABA Sports Division's Standing Committee. Prior to joining DePaul, Laura worked as a commercial litigation associate for the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin LLP and served as a judicial clerk for United States District Court Judge Lee H. Rosenthal in Houston, Texas. Laura graduated with honors from the University of Chicago Law School.

Ross Wenzel
Ross is a Partner in the sports law group of Kellerhals Carrard (Switzerland). His practice is exclusively dedicated to sports law, with a focus on doping and football-related disputes. He regularly represents clients before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and sports disciplinary bodies. Within a doping context, he has successfully represented WADA, the IOC, International Federations (including the IAAF, FINA and IWF) and National Anti-Doping Organisations in over 100 disputes. He also advises a number of sports organisations with respect to their commercial programmes and governance issues.

Denise L. White

Denise L. White is the CEO and Founder of the Entertainers & Athletes Group (EAG), a company that specializes in handling those aspects of an athlete's career that can be easily overlooked by an agent or team with an overflowing roster. In just 19 years she has taken her company from an initial concept for a couple of clients to a major player in the sports industry that retains an impressive list of athletes. Throughout the incredible growth of her business, Denise has maintained her personal approach, leaving no doubt about the investment of time and dedication she grants every client. This wholehearted commitment and attention to detail is the secret to her success as one of the very few successful females in an aggressive, male-dominated industry.

In 1996 after a successful career in broadcasting, Ms. White chose to expand her sports business experience by pursuing an entrepreneurial venture. She had noticed a gap between the roles of player agents and front offices when it came to career management services for professional athletes. In the NFL, where teams at times field 80 players and agencies sign even more, it is easy for rookies and veterans alike to fall through the cracks. Denise used vision and determination to open an office where players could find individually tailored career assistance and development.

Today EAG provides the highest quality service for athletes seeking marketing, public relations, event planning, Branding and Crisis Management. In one week it is not unusual for Denise herself to coordinate or attend a red carpet event, a fundraising dinner, a network show taping, and a national magazine photo shoot while working on bringing an athlete back from a crisis management situation. And amidst these activities, she can be found at a host of Sporting events throughout the year.

Most recently Denise was featured in a seven page Men's Journal article where she was profiled as the "Woman who bails out the NFL's bad boys. http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/the-woman-who-bails-out-the-nfls-bad-boys-20141114

Out of the Men's Journal article Hollywood came knocking and Fox2000 bought Denise's life rights and now are producing a film about her starring Jennifer Anniston, slated to debut in 2018. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/jennifer-aniston-play-beauty-queen-denise-white-fixer-36593913

Ms. White has established her position as a respected leader in sports management through strong cooperation with leagues, teams, and agents. They recognize that Denise and EAG enhance their efforts to both promote and provide for their athletes.