Brian Burkin is 20 year veteran at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he serves as Executive Vice President and Head of Business Affairs for feature films at TriStar Pictures. Previously, Brian ran operations for Sony’s International Productions unit, which makes movies in local languages around the world.

Brian is also a member of the faculty at USC Gould School of Law.

Previously, Brian served as Senior Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs at Miramax Films in New York City. He started his career in New York as a corporate lawyer.

Brian is a graduate of Penn State University and Tulane University Law School.

Val Ackerman was named the fifth Commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference on June 26, 2013. She previously served as an attorney and executive at the National Basketball Association, was the founding President of the Women’s National Basketball Association, and is a past President of USA Basketball, which oversees the U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic basketball program. She also served for two terms as the U.S. representative to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). She has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2021), the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2011), the New Jersey Hall of Fame (2021) and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2023) and has received the Billie Jean King Leadership Award from the Women’s Sports Foundation (2016). 

Val is a 1981 graduate of the University of Virginia, where she graduated with high honors with a B.A. in political and social thought and was a three-time captain and Academic All-American on the women’s basketball team. She received her law degree from UCLA in 1985 and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from Providence College in 2021. 

Ross Weingarten, a Partner in our New York office, is an experienced trial, white-collar criminal defense and regulatory investigations lawyer. He has led numerous high-stakes investigations and prosecutions across various sectors, showcasing his experience in handling complex legal matters. 

Ross served for more than seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the District of Connecticut and before that in the Northern District of California. Throughout his tenure, he developed a robust portfolio of high-profile cases, including accounting fraud, investor fraud, healthcare fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, insider trading, market manipulation, bank fraud, and money laundering. He also tackled cases involving narcotics trafficking, violent crime, firearms offenses, sex trafficking, terrorism, and other federal offenses. Notably, Ross has been at the forefront of investigating fraud schemes involving digital assets and the misuse of artificial intelligence by Silicon Valley start-ups. During his time as an AUSA, he held leadership positions in both districts, including the Narcotics/Opioids coordinator and Grand Jury coordinator in the NDCA, as well as heading the Fairfield County Fraud Task Force in the District of Connecticut. He has also delivered numerous trainings and participated in many panels regarding the work and priorities of the Department of Justice (DOJ). 

Ross has significant experience investigating and prosecuting frauds related to emerging technologies such as digital currencies and artificial intelligence. He has charged and resolved numerous fraud cases involving cryptocurrency or machine learning and has collaborated closely with the DOJ’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section on many of these cases. Some of these prosecutions have involved computer intrusions, spear phishing campaigns, ransomware attacks, and cryptocurrency social engineering schemes. 

Ross has first-chaired or co-first chaired multiple jury trials to verdict. His notable achievements include securing a guilty plea from the founder of a billion-dollar software startup involved in accounting and investor fraud, prosecuting a multimillion-dollar nationwide contract fraud and kickback scheme, and leading the prosecution of a doctor involved in illegal opioid prescriptions and healthcare fraud. 

Prior to his role as an AUSA, Ross was an associate at a multinational firm, where he represented global financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies, and high-profile individuals in white-collar criminal litigation, complex civil, antitrust, and bankruptcy. He also has significant experience in pro bono work that includes criminal, civil, and immigration matters. Ross clerked for the Honorable Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia. 

He earned his JD with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 2013 and his BA from Vassar College in 2007. 

Arianna has been widely recognized as one of the country’s top up-and-coming litigators. She has been recognized three times on Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under List” and has twice been featured on Lawdragon 500’s “X – The Next Generation” list. In 2025, she was named a Law360 MVP for Products Liability as one of just three attorneys recognized for having “distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.” Chambers USA has ranked Arianna as an “Up and Coming” attorney for Advertising: Litigation and she has been named by The Legal 500 as a “Next Generation Partner” in sports, product liability, mass tort and class action defense, and advertising and marketing litigation. Arianna was also named a “Premier Class Action Leader of Tomorrow” for 2025 by Class Action Updates.  In 2023, Law360 selected Arianna as a national “Rising Star” in Sports & Betting, and in 2025, Lawdragon 500 named her to its inaugural “Leading Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers” list. Arianna has also been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the areas of commercial litigation, mass tort and class action litigation, entertainment and sports law, labor and employment litigation, and appellate practice. 

Arianna specializes in advising and representing public-facing corporate clients in a wide range and at all phases of commercial litigation.  In the consumer products space, Arianna regularly defends clients against class actions involving allegations of consumer fraud and deception under state and federal law. She has secured significant victories at the trial and appellate levels for companies in cases challenging product labeling and marketing as false or misleading, and in 2025, Euromoney Legal Media Group shortlisted her for “North America Product Liability Lawyer of the Year” as part of its Women in Business Law Americas Awards. Arianna regularly advises companies on environmental, social, and governance commitments and marketing. She provides strategic guidance to clients on product labels and marketing materials related to sustainability and defends against claims challenging conditions and practices in companies’ global supply chains, including allegations of public nuisance or “greenwashing.”  

In the sports industry, Arianna has broad expertise steering athletes, players’ unions, professional teams, universities, and corporate sponsors through their most difficult and high-profile challenges. Arianna has represented athletes and unions on issues of player safety, compensation, and well-being, and has represented professional teams in significant labor and employment disputes. Arianna’s experience in cutting edge litigation and investigations includes serving as lead counsel to the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association to conduct a landmark investigation into alleged abuse, harassment, and misconduct in women’s soccer, as a result of which Euromoney Legal Media Group shortlisted her for “Media & Entertainment Lawyer of the Year” as part of its 2023 Women in Business Law Americas Awards. In 2023, she served as lead counsel to Washington State University in litigation to secure control over governance of the Pac-12 athletic conference in the wake of realignment. She has also handled additional sports industry engagements focused on labor and employment claims and sponsorship agreements. 

Attorney Kimberly K. Haynes is among Atlanta and Baton Rouge’s elite civically engaged leaders within the professional community. A graduate of Spelman College and Tulane University School of Law, Haynes is Founder and CEO of OMBI Group LLC, a premier sports and entertainment firm that specializes in the representation of sports and entertainment professionals and executives. She is also Principal of Haynes Johnson LLC, a boutique entertainment law firm handling music, film, television, and literary matters, civil litigation, estate planning, and small business needs. With over 15 years of experience, Haynes has nurtured OMBI Group and Haynes Johnson into successful organizations that specialize in managing professional athletes and entertainers’ professional and personal endeavors, in addition to cultivating a full-service nonprofit consulting group. 

In 2016, Haynes expanded OMBI Group into a legal and business management firm servicing clients in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and the entertainment industry. A short two years later, in 2018, Haynes was awarded the Chairman’s Award by the Entertainment, Sports, and Art Law Section of the National Bar Association. 

Born into a family of entrepreneurs, raised by philanthropic parents, Haynes continues to uphold the foundation upon which she was nurtured. As a result, Haynes genuinely developed a natural passion for giving back. She coins this passion, “Giving Gracefully”. Haynes is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Junior League of Atlanta, Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, and National Alumnae Association of Spelman College. She is a member of the Georgia and Louisiana Bar Associations. Haynes sits on the board of multiple organizations in both the sports and entertainment industries. She has also served on a host of panels and is a presenter at numerous lectures and seminars. 

Prof. Gabe Feldman is the Sher Garner Professor of Sports Law and Paul and Abram B. Barron Professor of Law, as well as Director of the Tulane Sports Law Program at Tulane University Law School; the Co-Director of the Tulane Center for Sport; and Associate Provost for NCAA Compliance at Tulane University.  Prof. Feldman is one of the leading voices in sports law in the U.S. Feldman’s 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. He is regularly quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and other newspapers, and he has made numerous appearances on national television and radio programs. He currently serves as the on-air legal analyst for the NFL Network. 

Feldman is the editor of The Sports Lawyers Journal, a law journal devoted to the study of sports law, and The Sports Lawyer, a monthly online newsletter. He also served as 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 on 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. He also serves as a mediator and arbitrator. 

Feldman serves on the board of directors of the Sports Lawyers Association and Athletes for Hope, a nonprofit organization created to harness the power of sports to impact social change. He also is the director of Special Olympics in New Orleans, serves on the board of directors for the regional Anti-Defamation League office and the New Orleans Jewish Community Center, and is a member of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. He joined Tulane in 2005 and teaches Antitrust, Sports Law, Negotiation and Mediation and Contracts. He has been appointed Reporter for the Uniform Law Commission Study on College Athlete Name, Image, and Likeness. In 2019, Feldman was awarded the Sher Garner Professorship in Sports Law, the nation’s first fully-endowed professorship dedicated to sports law, funded by alumni and longtime supporters Leopold and Karen Sher and James and Tracie Garner. 

As the Sports Law Program Manager for the Center for Sport, Eric is responsible for coordinating academic, research, student, and community activities, including the coordination and implementation of the Tulane Sports Executives Club, the Center for Sport Speaker series, Sports Law competitions, educational development, career services opportunities, and other events for the Center’s overall mission.  

Eric attended Tulane University Law School, where he was a member of the Sports Lawyer’s Journal and authored “College Football’s BCS (Bowl Cartel System?): an Examination of the Bowl Championship Series Agreement Under the Sherman Act, 18 Sports Law. J. 153” (2011).  

Prior to joining the Tulane Center for Sport in 2020, Eric was an attorney in private practice in New Orleans. 

Bio coming soon

Brittany is Senior Vice President, Head of Business Affairs, Scripted Content for Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment at Walt Disney Television. Brittany first joined Hulu in 2016, became head of business affairs in 2018 and expanded her role to include ABC Entertainment in 2024. Prior to Hulu, Brittany served as Vice President, Business Affairs at Warner Horizon Television. Brittany started her career in legal affairs at Touchstone Television.

Adam Glick serves as Executive Vice President, Business Operations, at Warner Bros. Television, one of the entertainment industry’s most respected and prolific producers of original scripted programming, producing drama and comedy series, as well as limited series and movies for television for Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max and external on-demand/streaming services, premium/pay and basic cable channels, and the five U.S. broadcast networks. He was named to this post in June 2023 after serving as Executive Vice President, Business Affairs, since December 2015.

In this capacity, Glick serves as lead negotiator and oversees all business affairs operations for WBTV. He directs the business affairs team and manages its day-to-day activities. He negotiates or supervises negotiations for the company’s deals with performers, producers, writers, and directors, in addition to licensing agreements with the various distribution platforms for WBTV’s original programming. As of July 2024, Glick is supervising business affairs matters for nearly 40 current scripted series and hundreds of projects in various stages of development at more than two dozen platforms, working closely with producers such as J.J. Abrams, John Wells, Greg Berlanti, Quinta Brunson, Mindy Kaling, Bill Lawrence, Chuck Lorre, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, Matt Reeves, Janine Sherman Barrois, and John Wells, among many others.

Select series produced by WBTV include the Emmy®-winning global hit comedy Ted Lasso, Abbott Elementary, All American, The Cleaning Lady, Presumed Innocent, the Pretty Little Liars franchise, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Shining Vale, Shrinking, You, and Young Sheldon, to name a few. Upcoming series include Bookie, Found, Duster, The Penguin, Rescue HI-Surf, and many more.

Glick previously served as Executive Vice President, Business Affairs, at Warner Horizon Television (WHTV), from 2012–2015. At WHTV, Glick supervised all business affairs matters for the division, including scripted series such as Rizzoli & Isles for TNT, Pretty Little Liars for ABC Family/Freeform, and Fuller House and Longmire for Netflix, as well as unscripted series such as The Voice and Little Big Shots for NBC, The Bachelor franchise — including The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise — for ABC, and more.

He initially joined the Studio in 1999 as Director, Business Affairs, at WBTV, before being promoted to Vice President in 2002 and Senior Vice President in 2005. In August 2008, Glick was named Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Business Affairs at WBTV. During this time, he served as the principal business affairs negotiator for producers such as Greg Berlanti, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Bruno Heller, Michael Patrick King, Bill Lawrence, Kevin Williamson and more. He spearheaded negotiations on hit series such as 2 Broke Girls, Cold Case, The Mentalist, The Vampire Diaries and Without a Trace, among many others.

Before coming to WBTV, Glick was Director, Legal & Music Business Affairs, at The Carsey/Werner Company, LLC. He began his career as a legal intern in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington D.C. and was an associate at the firm of Pregerson, Richman & Luna. Glick is a graduate of Dartmouth College and of the University of Southern California School of Law. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Lisa, and they have two daughters, Zoe and Maddy.

Co-Executive Chairman of Winston & Strawn, Jeffrey is one of the world’s leading antitrust, sports law, and trial lawyers. He has served as lead counsel in some of the most complex antitrust, sports, and intellectual property litigations in the country, including major jury trials, and has represented a number of U.S. and international companies in criminal and civil investigations in the antitrust, sports law, trade, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) areas.

Jeffrey formerly served as the co-chair of Winston’s global Antitrust/Competition Practice and as the co-chair of the firm’s Sports Law Practice. Law360 recently named both practices as a “Practice Group of the Year” for their respective categories. He focuses his practice on all aspects of antitrust/competition, sports law, complex commercial litigation, intellectual property (IP), and government criminal and civil investigations. He has served as lead counsel in some of the most complex antitrust, sports law, and IP law cases in the country, including major jury trials, and has represented many U.S. and international companies in criminal and civil investigations in the antitrust, trade, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) areas. He successfully defended Matsushita and JVC against claims of a worldwide conspiracy in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Zenith v. Matsushita and is regarded universally as a leading commentator on international antitrust law. He has also been the lead counsel for important cases involving frontier issues of IP law and lead counsel in numerous government criminal and civil investigations. He is a member of the firm’s Videogame, Gaming, and Esports Group, which provides comprehensive legal solutions to companies in the sector.

Jeffrey is also one of the United States’ most prominent lawyers regularly engaged in high-profile sports litigation. He has litigated some of the most famous sports-antitrust cases in history, including the landmark college players-brought Alston v. NCAA case, in which, following Jeffrey’s oral argument, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously affirmed his and co-counsel’s earlier “groundbreaking and disruptive” trial victory against the NCAA in this antitrust challenge to its no-compensation rules; McNeil v. The NFL, the watershed antitrust jury trial that led to the establishment of free agency in the National Football League (NFL); and Brady v. NFL, which led to the end of the 2011 NFL lockout. Jeffrey’s sports sector clients have included the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the Arena Football League Players Association, the National Hockey League Players Association, the Major League Baseball Players Association, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Wasserman Media Group, SCP Worldwide, MVP Sports, the U.S. Women’s National [Soccer] Team (USWNT), the NFL Coaches Association, the Women’s Tennis Benefit Association, Endeavor, Super Slam Ltd., Activision Blizzard, Adidas, Klutch Sports, and Players, Inc. Jeffrey has represented various classes of Division 1 college basketball and football players; other college athletes; elite swimmers; NBA, NFL, AFL, and MLS players; the North American Soccer League (NASL); the U.S. Football League; the Overwatch and Call of Duty Esports leagues; the Professional Bull Riders; Relevent Sports Agency, and the Cities of San Diego and Oakland, as well as Alameda County, in various sports law disputes. He negotiated the current free agency/salary cap systems in the NFL and NBA, and successfully represented Latrell Sprewell in his controversial suspension arbitration. In the area of NFL discipline, he represented the NFLPA on behalf of Ray Rice, Tom Brady (in “Deflategate”), Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson, and the “Bountygate” players. He represented pro bono Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee athlete, in his successful arbitration to obtain the right to compete against non-disabled athletes around the world. Recently, he achieved a landmark equal pay class action settlement for the members of the USWNT.

This impressive experience has led Law360 to name Jeffrey as an MVP for Sports and Betting (2015; 2018–2022; and 2024). In March 2022 at the Benchmark Litigation East Coast Awards, Jeffrey was honored as the Antitrust Litigator of the Year, and the firm was recognized for its work on NCAA v. Alston, one of the National Impact Cases of the Year. Jeffrey is also part of the group recognized with GCR’s 2022 “Litigation of the Year: Cartel Prosecution” award.

Scott Wilkinson is the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for the Hawks and State Farm Arena. In 2004, Wilkinson assumed responsibility for all Hawks and State Farm Arena legal matters. He is currently responsible for all legal and business affairs of Atlanta Hawks, LP, Arena Operations, LLC, Atlanta Hawks Foundation, Inc. and ATL Investco, LLC (and its various related affiliates). He previously had the additional duty of Hawks Assistant General Manager from 2006 until 2015, serving in that basketball operations role during a stretch of eight consecutive Hawks playoff appearances under three different GMs.

From 1999-2003, Wilkinson served as Assistant General Counsel for Turner Sports, Inc., providing legal support to all Turner Sports properties, including the Hawks, the Atlanta Thrashers, the Atlanta Braves, World Championship Wrestling, TNT Sports and The Goodwill Games.

Before his tenure at Turner, Wilkinson practiced law with Moore & Van Allen in Durham, NC, and was also a founding member and NFLPA certified agent for the Buoniconti Sports Management Group. Prior to that, he was a litigation associate at Ginsburg, Feldman and Bress in Washington D.C., and a Judge Advocate in the United States Marine Corps. Wilkinson retired from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 2006 as a Lieutenant Colonel following over 20 years of combined active and reserve service.

Wilkinson attended Duke University on a football scholarship and earned his A.B. degree, cum laude, in 1985. He earned his J.D. from Duke in 1988.

Wilkinson and his wife, Beth, have two children and reside in Atlanta. He serves on the Peach Bowl Advisory Committee and on the 2016 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship Advisory Committee.

Thomas Patrick Lane is an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winning producer and investor. His past productions include “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, the Whitney Houston biopic, “The Collaboration” about Warhol and Basquiat, “Moulin Rouge,” and “Hadestown.”

He is also an entertainment litigator. He has worked with artists such as Prince, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, James Taylor and Billy Porter. He has tried to verdict over 150 cases across the country and world, and has deposed the likes of Led Zeppelin and all living members of the Grateful Dead, as well as individual artists such as Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog.

At Tulane, Tom has established the Lane/Morrison Endowment for Equality to promote diversity and encourage the Tulane community to embrace acceptance of all that we are. Tom also recently funded a scholarship in honor of Tulane Law Professor, Catherine Hancock.

Entertainment, media, and sports clients turn to Traci Bransford for strategic counsel on the full range of their legal needs. She is the leader of Parker Poe’s Sports & Entertainment Industry Team and has over 30 years of experience.

Traci focuses her practice on transactional law with an emphasis on clients in music, television, film, literary publishing, and sports. She serves as outside general counsel in those industries and others, including retail, education, and healthcare. She guides her clients through many aspects of their businesses, including intellectual property management, contract negotiation, and brand strategy. Her clients benefit from her multi-jurisdictional experience from California to New York, and most recently Georgia and Minnesota, as well as her commitment to the tenets of diversity and inclusion. This background allows her to offer comprehensive solutions to key legal challenges.

Traci regularly advises on fast-changing and emerging college athletics and education developments, including instituting policies that govern the use of student-athletes’ name, image, and likeness (NIL). She advises education institutions and student-athletes on ongoing legal updates related to NIL activity as a result of recent NCAA class actions.

Traci also provides general counsel representation to sport and entertainment facilities. She regularly assists clients in navigating the strategy behind operating premier venues to best mitigate risk and minimize liability.

Traci regularly speaks before national audiences about entertainment, media, sports, and celebrity philanthropy. She is a member of leading sports and entertainment law associations and serves on several nonprofit boards.

Earlier in her career, Traci served as general counsel to the world-renowned performing artist Prince and served as the chief executive for the legal affairs of his corporate entities, including Paisley Park Enterprises. That experience shaped much of her work ethic in serving high-profile entertainment clients and meeting their specific legal needs. It continues to inform her work today as she negotiates agreements for entertainers, athletes, and leading media companies.

Traci earned her Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College in Atlanta and her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.

Kevin is an entertainment lawyer, entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, and founder of leading entertainment law firm Yorn Levine, Through his law firm, investment firm, and ownership in category-defining companies including Spotify, Warby Parker, Impossible Foods, Lyft, Public.com, Thrive Market, and others, and in leading funds and vehicles including Plus Capital, SV Angel, Valor, Collaborative and The Helena Brain Trust, he embodies a true multi-hyphenate of the highest order. Kevin’s philanthropic affiliations include Stand Up 2 Cancer, Cedars-Sinai Hospital, and Tulane University.

In 2018, Yorn negotiated a record-breaking deal for his long-term client, Scarlett Johansson, making her the highest-earning actress in the history of cinema. Yorn also negotiated Zoe Saldaña’s deals in the Avatar and Marvel franchises. Johansson and Saldaña are the highest and second-highest grossing actresses of all time.

Yorn’s firm also represents globally-celebrated entertainment luminaries such as Alicia Keys, Anna Kendrick, CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, TikTok influencers Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, Chris Rock, “the Dans”—Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—who directed Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ellen DeGeneres, Eva Longoria, Gisele Bündchen, Jason Sudeikis, Jonah Hill, Jordan Peele, Matthew McConaughey, Mike Judge, Scarlett Johansson, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, Steph Curry, Taika Waititi, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Zach Galifianakis, and Zoe Saldaña, among many others.

In addition to brokering legacy deals on their behalf, Yorn also works alongside his clients to launch new ventures and seek to realize their most ambitious charitable endeavors. In 2014, Yorn co-created and led financing for his partnership with Ellen DeGeneres in Ellen Digital Ventures and her lifestyle brand, ED Ellen DeGeneres, and since its inception, Yorn has been instrumental in the work of the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.

Yorn proudly serves as a founding member on a number of corporate Boards including Common Sense Media, Language Media, LBI Entertainment, Zoe Saldaña’s BeSe, Ellen Digital Ventures, and Portia de Rossi’s General Public, which has an exclusive art partnership with Restoration Hardware.

He also plays a role in multiple non-profit organizations including serving on the Board of Governors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, as Co-Chairman of the Tulane Fund, and as Chairperson, Founder, and Chief Benefactor of Tulane’s annual sports and entertainment symposium. In addition, the Yorn Family Fund proudly supports the life-saving efforts of Stand up to Cancer through large scale donations and in funding the development of high-impact content such as the upcoming documentary, Life, Unexpected, that will air on PBS and is projected to raise millions for pediatric cancer research.

Yorn graduated from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Business Administration, and earned his J.D. at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. After graduating from law school, Yorn began his career working for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office as a Homicide Prosecutor in the Hardcore Gang Division.

Alongside his brothers Rick, a leading talent manager, and Pete, an acclaimed musician and singer/songwriter, Yorn is a part of a Hollywood royalty triumvirate. He is a passionate art creator and collector and alongside fellow artist, Leslie Nix, he Founded Studio 68, where the two create artisan furniture, lighting, and fine art.

Yorn splits his time between California, NYC, and New Orleans, where his daughter, Samantha, recently graduated from Tulane University.

Ken Turkel is a founding shareholder in the Tampa based litigation boutique Turkel Cuva Barrios, PA. He is a civil trial attorney with a national practice who has represented business and individuals and tried cases in a wide array of matters covering numerous industries, with substantial experience in the sports and entertainment, securities, health care, finance, hospitality, and transportation industries. He has tried a broad spectrum of cases to verdict in state and federal courts throughout the nation, including defamation, privacy, trade secret, employment, Title VII and Title IX discrimination, Title IX, unfair business practices, fraud, contracts, and business torts. Ken also represents clients in the conduct of internal investigations at the state and federal level, and has substantial experience representing athletes with respect to their name, image and likeness rights.

Ken is widely known for the landmark jury verdict he obtained in the Terry Bollea (pka “Hulk Hogan”)/Gawker case, in which the jury returned a $140,000,000 verdict on a number of privacy and surreptitious recording claims, including $25,000,000 in punitive damages. Courtroom Video Network recognized Ken as its “Florida Plaintiff’s Attorney of 2016” for his work in the Hogan/Gawker case, also publishing an article highlighting his work during the four-day voir dire he conducted in that case. He also represented Governor Sarah Palin in her high-profile libel case against the New York Times, a case which has generated two precedent setting Second Circuit opinions in public figure cases, and which is currently set for a second trial in April 2025.

His other notable work includes his defense of Kid Rock against trademark infringement claims brought by Feld Entertainment relating to their “Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus” slogan “The Greatest Show on Earth”; a case in which he successfully defeated the Plaintiff’s efforts to obtain an injunction against his use of that slogan on his 2018 tour; the representation of multiple purchasers who brought ILSA and related fraud claims against The Trump Organization and Donald Trump arising out of the “Trump Tower Tampa” condominium development; his representation of one of the subjects of the movie “War Dogs” against Warner Brothers Pictures on false advertising claims; and his successful defense against a temporary injunction and subsequent dismissal of a case filed by Don King against prize fighter “Sugar” Shane Mosley, in which King tried to stop Mosley’s pay-per-view second rematch against Ricardo Mayorga. Most recently, Ken represented University of Florida Head Basketball Coach Todd Golden as part of a legal team which successfully defended him in a Title IX investigation

Ken serves as a television legal analyst on high profile cases for several popular programs, including regular appearances on “Cuomo”, “Dan Abrams Live”, and “Laura Coates Live”. He has lectured nationally on the trial of high-profile cases,  jury selection in high-profile cases, and first amendment/privacy litigation. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America since 2009 in the practice area of Commercial Litigation, and by Tampa Magazine in its “Tampa’s Top Lawyers” edition since 2020 in the areas of First Amendment Law, First Amendment Litigation, Media Law, Sports Law, Civil Litigation and Commercial Litigation.

Ken is a native and lifetime resident of Tampa. He is a 1986 graduate of the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, and he received his JD in 1990 from Stetson University College of Law.

Tyrone P. Thomas is an executive compensation and employment attorney in Holland & Knight’s Washington, D.C., office and serves as the co-chair of the firm’s Sports Law Practice. Mr. Thomas focuses on matters concerning C-suite executives across for profit and nonprofit employers, including educational institutions, trade associations and sports organizations. He has handled high profile investigations involving allegations of workplace misconduct, fiscal impropriety, and violations of NCAA and professional league rules for over 20 years.

Mr. Thomas advises boards, presidents and other senior executives on employment, consulting and separation agreements. In providing compliance assessments on governance issues, he advises boards and compensation committees on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations governing intermediate sanctions, incentive programs and Form 990 reporting. In the scope of his practice, he has advised on executive employment arrangements and transitions involving over 250 academic institutions.

Mr. Thomas represents clients on complex legal issues in athletics. In college athletic matters, his experience includes advising on laws and regulations for name/image/likeness deals and programs, enforcement investigations and appeals of penalties assessed to institutions, athletics staff and student-athletes. He advises colleges on Title IX, privacy issues, employment contracts and policies for athletics personnel. In professional sports matters, he has experience advising teams on league compliance issues, sponsorship arrangements and other legal matters.

Mr. Thomas also has experience counseling clients on the development and implementation of affirmative action plans and related matters with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). In general employment matters, Mr. Thomas advises companies on reductions in force and compliant frameworks to implement diversity goals and action plans.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Thomas is a frequent speaker for various associations in higher education on presidential compensation and executive searches, including the American Council on Education (ACE), National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). He is nationally recognized for his experience in sports matters and has served as a legal analyst for The New York Times, ESPN, Forbes, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Sports Illustrated, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Sports Business Journal, and University Business.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Thomas was co-chair of the sports and entertainment practice of a large U.S. law firm in its Washington, D.C., and New York offices.

Mike Tannenbaum joined ESPN as an NFL Front Office Insider in April 2019. A former NFL executive with more than two decades of experience in team front offices, he appears on a variety of ESPN platforms, including Get Up, First Take, SportsCenter and NFL Live. Tannenbaum has also contributed to ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft since 2019, serving as an analyst on ESPN Radio.

In addition to his ESPN role, Tannenbaum is the founder of football think tank The 33rd Team, and he teaches Football Business Management: The Inner Workings of the NFL at Columbia University.

Prior to ESPN, Tannenbaum worked for several NFL franchises, most notably as executive vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins (2015-18), and executive vice president and general manager for the New York Jets (2006-12).

Under Tannenbaum’s leadership, the Dolphins made the playoffs in 2016 for the first time in eight seasons, and the Jets advanced to the playoffs in three seasons, won four playoff games and made two AFC Championship game appearances. Tannenbaum’s tenure as general manager of the Jets marked the most successful seven-year period in franchise history.

Between executive roles with the Jets and Dolphins, Tannenbaum represented head coaches Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), David Blatt (then with the Cleveland Cavaliers) and others serving as an agent and principal at Priority Sports and Entertainment from 2013-14.

Tannenbaum began his NFL career as an intern for the New Orleans Saints in 1994. He went on to the Cleveland Browns as a player personnel assistant in 1995, then returned to the Saints for the 1996 season.

In 1997, then-New York Jets head coach Bill Parcells, now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, hired Tannenbaum as director of player contracts, launching his 16-year career with the team. From there, Tannenbaum advanced to director of pro player development/player contracts in 2000, assistant general manager/director of pro personnel in 2001 and general manager/senior vice president of football operations in 2006.

Tannenbaum graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a degree in accounting and then, while working for the Saints, earned his certificate in sports law, graduating cum laude from Tulane University Law School.

In 2008, while serving as a member of the American Bar Association in the sports and entertainment division, Tannenbaum was appointed to the Sports Lawyers Association board of directors. In the same year, he was also appointed to the NFL General Managers Advisory Committee.

Devoted to philanthropic endeavors and helping young people get their start in sports, Tannenbaum remains true to one of his core values that education and knowledge will always pave a successful path. In keeping with these beliefs, the Tannenbaum family instituted scholarship programs with Tannenbaum’s alma maters, UMass and Tulane Law School, as well as a New Jersey YMCA to afford young professionals the opportunity to pursue their passion in the sports industry without the burden of living expenses.

A native of Needham, Mass., Tannenbaum resides in Boca Raton, Fla., with his wife and their two children.

Zachary St. Martin is the Head of the North America Commercial and Intellectual Property Legal team for ByteDance, supporting TikTok and other ByteDance products and services.  He manages a team of business and legal affairs counsel who handle ByteDance’s legal commercial activity in content, distribution, product partnerships, marketing, and technology; and subject matter function in intellectual property managing ByteDance’s copyright, trademark, anti-counterfeiting, brand management, and identity legal functions.  He is a member of the ByteDance North America legal leadership team. 

Practicing law for 25 years, Zach has extensive in-house legal experience in media and content, intellectual property, product counseling and tech transactions, and privacy and has advised large, medium and startup stage tech, media, and ad tech companies.  In addition to ByteDance, Zach has worked for MySpace (social networking); Sony Pictures (global media networks & global content distribution); Fox Interactive Media (digital services); 8i (AR & VR production and tech startup where he was general counsel); and Viant Technology (Ad Tech/DSP/DMP).  Zach spent the first five years of his career in Latham & Watkins’ Los Angeles office as an associate in the firm’s corporate department.

Zach is a native of Houma, Louisiana from the Cajun Coast of the Gulf of Mexico, who returns often for visits to New Orleans, where he earned a BSE in biomedical engineering from Tulane’s School of Science & Engineering and a JD (Summa Cum Laude & Order of the Coif) from Tulane Law School. 

Zach’s non legal interests include photography, travel with his wife, hiking and bike riding, live music, and playing with his Brussels Griffon, Boudreaux.

Olivia Nuss is a recognized leader in the dynamic and rapidly evolving field of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights.

Olivia is a licensed attorney residing in New Orleans, Louisiana, and holds both a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law (D.C.L.) from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. She also completed her Master’s in Mass Communication (M.M.C.) from the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication, where her academic research focused on the intersection of NIL and advertising. Her published graduate thesis, The Future of Name, Image, and Likeness in Advertising, explored how emerging NIL opportunities are reshaping brand partnerships and sponsorship strategies in collegiate sports.

 Olivia has personally drafted and negotiated more than $130 million in NIL deals with student-athletes across the country, more than any other single attorney in 2025.

Today, Olivia works as an Assistant Attorney General in the Louisiana Office of the Attorney General, Liz Murrill, assisting with implementation of policy and enforcement related to name, image, and likeness matters, and college athletics.

Prior to joining Louisiana Office of the Attorney General, Olivia worked as Head of Business and Legal affairs for Student Athlete NIL, which was the top consulting agency for NIL Collectives. She has worked with over 50 universities across the country on NIL contracts and legal compliance. She also served as legal counsel for the annual NIL Summit in Atlanta, widely regarded as the premier event in the NIL industry, from 2021 to 2024.

Prior to Student Athlete NIL, she assisted in the development of LSU Athletics’ NIL program, NILSU, where she worked alongside the university’s current NIL Director to establish core policies and educational resources for student-athletes. She has also served in advisory and strategic support roles for several industry organizations, including Eccker Sports, Influential Co., and Hashtag Sports, contributing to partnerships, campaigns, and operational NIL initiatives nationwide.

Before beginning her legal career, Olivia worked in creative media, event production, and collegiate athletics. She worked in LSU Athletics Marketing and Creative Services, designing digital content and recruitment materials for LSU Men’s Basketball. She also supported in-game promotions for LSU Baseball. She later expanded her marketing skills at StudioNow, where she contributed to UX design, SEO marketing strategy, and social media content.

In addition to her background in collegiate sports and creative strategy, Olivia has broad experience in large-scale event and festival production. She contributed to the planning and execution of major events such as the Voodoo Music + Arts Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Hogs for the Cause, and the Baton Rouge Blues Festival, balancing logistics, operations, and creative activation for nationally recognized audiences.

Olivia has appeared on panels and delivered keynote sessions at leading events including the NIL Summit, AthleteCon, Tulane Women in Leadership Conference, Beverly Hills Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association. She has guest lectured at institutions such as Rutgers Law School, Villanova Law School, Syracuse University, the LSU Manship School, and LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, sharing insights on NIL law, sports marketing, and media rights with students and faculty alike.

 With a reputation for blending legal expertise with innovative business strategy, Olivia is committed to shaping the future of NIL, advocating for student-athletes while navigating the complex regulatory and legal landscape of college sports.

Dorian Slater Thomas practices in the firm’s Interactive Entertainment Group and Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Group, where he handles a wide range of transactional work for prominent agencies, brands, platforms, developers, publishers, and individual creative talent.

The National Law Journal’s 2022 Trailblazers list included him for Sports/Gaming/Entertainment Law and Variety included him as an “Up Next” honoree in their 2022 Legal Impact Report. The Legal 500 listed him as a “Rising Star” in Advertising and Marketing for 2021 and Best Lawyers in America recognized him in the 2024-2025 “Ones to Watch” editions for Entertainment and Sports Law and Intellectual Property Law.

Mr. Thomas has experience advising some of the world’s best-known gaming and technology companies, including developers and publishers, in the interactive entertainment industry. He has negotiated and drafted development/publishing agreements, licensing agreements, software (SasS) agreements, and operational agreements across various digital media platforms.

Mr. Thomas also negotiates and drafts advertising and marketing services agreements, whether in the interactive entertainment industry or otherwise. He regularly handles creative services agreements, talent, spokesperson, endorsement and influencer agreements, sponsorship and promotion agreements, branded entertainment agreements, agency and management agreements, production agreements, license agreements and releases.

Mr. Thomas also advises clients on a variety of development, advertising, marketing and intellectual property law matters — including copy and content review, network clearance, social media guidelines, copyright issues, and right of publicity issues. In addition, he has experience with privacy and data security matters, including negotiating and drafting privacy and data security practices and policies.

Mr. Thomas is an active member of the Frankfurt Kurnit Diversity Committee and co-chair of the Frankfurt LGBTQ+ Affinity Group. He is a consistent supporter of Lambda Legal and related causes advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. Mr. Thomas is a seasoned traveler of Central and South America both in a professional and personal capacity, including attending and speaking at numerous events and conferences in LATAM related to his practice. He is admitted to practice in California and New York.

Jason Sloane is a partner of Sloane Offer Weber and Dern LLP, a boutique transactional entertainment firm law firm based in Los Angeles that represents some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Amy Adams, Chris Evans, Michael Fassbender, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Hugh Jackman, Keira Knightley, Joaquin Phoenix, Chris Pratt, Ryan Reynolds, Mark Wahlberg, Will Smith. The firm also represents myriad writers, directors and producers including directors James Mangold, Todd Philips, Spike Jones, Kathryn Bigelow, Michael Bay, writer Ehren Kruger and production companies such as James Corden’s Fulwell 73.

Sloane represents his clients across all their entertainment industry endeavors as well as new business startups.

Sloane is a graduate of UC Berkeley, and earned his law degree from UCLA.

Casey Schwab is an entrepreneur, operator and lawyer whose career has spanned across sports media, the NFL and college athletics. He has managed P&L’s and led transformative deals while leading diverse teams in the areas of media rights, sponsorship, licensing, labor negotiations, sports betting, talent and risk management.

Most recently, he was the founder and CEO of Altius Sports Partners, which was fully acquired by private equity firm NewSpring Capital in 2023. Altius is the nation’s leading strategic advisor to blue-chip university athletic programs and corporate brands. Prior to founding Altius, Casey was the Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs at the NFL Players Association, leading the extension of deals with Fanatics and Electronic Arts, the creation/launch of OneTeam Partners with RedBird Capital, and the commercial portion of the current CBA between the NFLPA and the NFL. He began his career after law school at NFL Media and FOX Sports, negotiating media rights and on-air talent deals.

Casey was named to the Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 award (2021) and The Athletic’s “College Basketball 20 for the Next 20” list of industry leaders (2023). He has also taught at both USC and Howard Law Schools as an adjunct professor.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and USC Gould School of Law, he now lives north of Chicago with his wife Emilie, son Max (3), and daughter Becca (1).

Zach Schreiber is Of Counsel in Gibson Dunn’s Litigation Department and a member of the Firm’s Sports Law Practice Group. His practice focuses on complex litigation and investigations, with a particular emphasis on the sports, media, and entertainment industries. Zach represents clients in high-stakes disputes involving intellectual property, antitrust, labor and employment, and commercial issues, as well as in internal investigations and strategic advisory matters. He also counsels clients, including elite athletes, on sports and entertainment transactions, such as those involving name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights, media rights, and sponsorship arrangements.

Before entering private practice, Zach worked as a sports agent representing professional basketball players around the world and held front-office positions with two NBA teams. This experience gives him a rare insider’s perspective on the business of sports and the dynamics that drive disputes and deals in this fast-evolving space. He is recognized for blending business insight with rigorous legal strategy, helping clients navigate sensitive and high stakes matters that attract public attention and industry scrutiny.

Zach has played key roles in major litigations, regulatory investigations, and arbitration proceedings, often involving complex factual and reputational issues. He regularly works alongside senior executives and in-house counsel to develop coordinated strategies that protect both legal and commercial interests. His clients value his poise under pressure, command of the sports and media ecosystem, and commitment to practical, results-driven advocacy.

Zach was recently recognized in the inaugural Conduct Detrimental: The Intersection of Sports and Law “10 Under 10” list, which highlights sports lawyers who are shaping the sports legal field, and was elected to serve as a member of Law360’s Sports & Betting Editorial Board. Zach is also the author of Lexology’s annual Sports Law Panoramic.

Dan is the COO at Amazon Studios, overseeing business affairs, physical production, operations, music and casting. In this role, Dan has oversight in these areas for all original content produced for the Amazon Prime Video platform, encompassing television and feature films in the US, as well as Local Originals produced for many countries globally. Recently, he has taken a lead role in integrating the MGM teams into the Amazon family. Among the shows he has worked on and helped bring in to Amazon are “Lord of the Rings”, “The Boys”, “Jack Ryan”, and many others. Previously, he was General Counsel & Head of Business Affairs at The Jim Henson Company, and has also held business affairs roles for Fox Television, Disney, and the Screen Actors Guild. Well before that, he was a Deputy Public Defender in Northern California.

Marc Reeves is an investor and advisor across various sports properties including Leeds United, CD Leganes, Cancun FC and Blue Crow Analytics.  Marc also serves as the Head of Global Strategic Partnerships at Fever.  He was previously Head of Brand, Football, for Nike.  In this role, he was the consumer and marketplace lead for the company’s business across NFL, NCAA, High School, Grassroots and Performance.  Previous to this role, Marc was GM, Nike+, responsible for the company’s connected membership ecosystem including vision, brand and connecting all consumers through digital (apps, Nike.com), physical (DTC, wholesale, events) and related products (e.g. Apple Watch Nike+).  Prior to joining Nike, Marc was the NFL’s first ever International Commercial Director, where he led partnerships and marketing for the league outside of the US.  He added on the responsibilities of Managing Director of NFL Canada during his tenure.  His prior experiences include various roles at IMG (now Endeavor), including Vice President, Consulting where he led the agency’s global relationships with Visa, Electronic Arts, Wells Fargo, and he worked in the Athlete Management division at ProServ.  In addition, he co-founded a sports-based social gaming company, Lionside, which was acquired by Japanese mobile company, ngmoco:).  Marc is on the Board of Directors of Relo Metrics.  He is also a Board Advisor to Cloud9 esports, Sportable, Web3 Pro, Screen Skinz, a Techstars Sports Mentor and on the Advisory Board of the Tulane Sports Law Program.

Marc has been a featured speaker at numerous venues including Stanford Graduate School of Business, Kellogg School of Management, University of Michigan, Tulane Law School, Leaders (UK), Sports Lawyers Association and Ivy League Sports Symposium. He has been interviewed and quoted in various media outlets including The New York Times, CNN, ESPN, Reuters, Irish Times, The Nikkei and the Sports Business Journal. Marc has been an adjunct professor of Sports Marketing at University of San Francisco. He earned a JD/MBA from Tulane University, with a specialty in Sports Law, and a BA from Kalamazoo College, where he was a member of two NCAA Division III National Championship Tennis teams.

Andy Patman is a literary agent with Innovative Artists Talent Agency.  Previously he served as an agent at Paradigm Talent Agency and Head of Television Content for A3’s literary division.  He has over two decades experience.  Patman began his literary agent career at the William Morris agency.

Vicky Neumeyer was named Senior Vice President/General Counsel of the New Orleans Pelicans, in addition to serving in the same position for the New Orleans Saints, in June, 2012, overseeing all legal aspects of both teams.

Providing comprehensive legal consultation and services to the two clubs’ executive staff and assuring compliance in all of the organizations’ business endeavors, Neumeyer has been a key member of the Saints front office since joining the club in 2000 and was promoted to vice president/general counsel in 2006.

Her responsibilities include drafting key documents – including leases, sponsorship agreements and broadcast contracts – identifying and analyzing legal issues and presenting comprehensive recommendations.

A member of the Louisiana and federal bar associations, prior to joining the Saints, Neumeyer spent over five years as an in-house corporate litigation attorney for Exxon. Previously she served as a judicial clerk for the Supreme Court of Louisiana and was in private practice as a consultant to major corporate clients and law firms.

Neumeyer possesses extensive experience in Sports Law, including antitrust, labor and organizational matters. She also has a comprehensive background in CAD engineering, software development firm drafting, negotiating contracts worldwide, copyrighting and in handling legal business issues.

Jim Nelson is a co-chair of the Technology, Media, and Commercial Group, member of the firm’s Management Committee, and partner-in-charge of Venable’s San Francisco office. Jim focuses on intellectual property-centered businesses that emphasize the development, production, and commercialization of IP assets. He manages a range of commercial contract and outsourcing engagements, in addition to general corporate work forming and financing companies and supporting them in mergers, sales, acquisitions, and joint ventures. His clients range from emerging growth to Fortune 50 companies—often located or acting globally—in technology, media and entertainment, music, life sciences, financial services, and hospitality, among others.

In his IP transactions work, Jim focuses on the revenue side of his client’s business, supporting clients creating value through the use of IP. This includes providing strategic business advice and drafting and negotiating commercial agreements. He has broad experience in the life sciences field working with agreements covering all aspects of innovation and product development as well as product manufacturing, distribution, and sale. His media and entertainment work involves substantial work in licensing IP assets of various types, including managing name, image, and likeness deals and the formation of new companies and joint ventures to commercialize new product offerings. For technology-driven companies, he is particularly focused on the development, protection, and leveraging of various solutions and their related IP rights, whether they are driven by new technologies (e.g., AI or LLMs) or are more traditional approaches. Many of the technology deals involve the development and commercialization of software, whether as bespoke solutions or standardized products—delivered via the cloud or made available locally. Such deals regularly include the use, protection, and monetization of data as well. In many of these transactions, Jim works closely with Venable’s deep bench of IP and regulatory attorneys to cover all aspects of such transactions and his clients’ larger business.

He also has particular experience with sourcing transactions, working with both major corporate customers and technology and business process vendors. Jim has led sourcing transactions involving the development, implementation, or use of technologies, as well as business process outsourcing services, including real estate management. These sourcing deals have been competitive bid and sole source, and many have involved working in cooperation with third-party intermediaries.

As part of his general corporate practice, he provides counsel to companies of all sizes in corporate matters, whether focused on financings, mergers, or acquisitions or assisting them with the analysis, triage, and disposition of the wide variety of legal matters they confront.

Jennifer Lewis is the General Counsel of the Los Angeles Clippers.  She previously served as General Counsel of Redbud Brands. In that capacity, she led all legal affairs matters and strategy for Redbud Brands and its portfolio of consumer products companies. Previously, she was the General Counsel of The SpringHill Company, and before SpringHill, the Managing Vice President of Business Affairs at Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products with a specialty in complex business transactions and media rights acquisitions, talent and athlete sponsorship and promotion negotiations. She was a key synergy partner and thought leader with other studio business segments, coordinating on talent-related matters, ancillary rights negotiations, music licensing issues, trademark strategy and operations.

Earlier in her career, Jennifer worked as an executive at Live Nation, MGM, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Fox Family Worldwide.

Jennifer is a Tulane Law School alumni and holds a BBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.  Jennifer has a strong commitment to the diversity of representation and has served as a board member for multiple non-profit organizations.

Rakesh has substantial experience litigating complex and antitrust matters in trial and appellate courts throughout the country.

Over the past several years, Rakesh has successfully resolved some of the biggest antitrust matters in history. Those include obtaining full judgment for the NFL in post-trial proceedings in a $21 billion challenge to the NFL’s media model, defeating the FTC’s challenge to Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and negotiating a groundbreaking and innovative settlement to end decades of litigation over the NCAA’s compensation rules.

Beyond antitrust, Rakesh has helped deliver high-profile victories to clients in a wide array of industries and subject matter areas, including defamation, financial services, products liability, and has served as lead or co-lead counsel in over a dozen class actions or MDLs.

Before joining the firm, Rakesh was a Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel, where he provided legal advice and strategic counseling to the Obama Administration on its domestic policy agenda. He also helped to develop and implement the government’s litigation strategy in cases arising under the Affordable Care Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Rakesh began his career by clerking for Justice Elena Kagan on the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

In recognition of his diverse practice, Rakesh has been selected as a “Winning Litigator” and “Rising Star” by the National Law Journal and named a Sports and Betting “MVP” and “Rising Star” by Law360. Rakesh was also chosen as one of Bloomberg Law’s “40 Under 40,” and Benchmark Litigation has identified him as a “Litigation Star” and selected him to its “40 & Under Hotlist” five years in a row. Chambers has recognized Rakesh as “Up and Coming” among Antitrust Litigation Specialists in Washington, D.C., and Legal 500 has recommended him in its national Antitrust and Sports categories. He has also appeared on Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Lawyers in America” and “500 Leading Litigators in America” lists for the last three consecutive years.

Ashlye Keaton has practiced law for more than 20 years in the arts, culture and entertainment sectors with a focus on intellectual property.  She also advocates for strong arts and cultural policies and practices in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana.  Ashlye is the Co-Founder of The Ella Project, a nonprofit based in New Orleans that serves Louisiana artists, musicians and culture bearers with direct legal, business and advocacy services. Ashlye is an adjunct professor at Tulane Law School, where she has received recognition for distinguished teaching, in addition to the University of New Orleans Graduate School in Arts Administration.   

Along with other legal successes, Ashlye helped the Mardi Gras Indians by arguing that their elaborate suits qualified for copyright protection as works of sculpture. She is also noted for her work around the New Orleans municipal noise ordinance and other regulations, policies and programs that impact arts and culture. Ashlye co-founded and is an emeritus board member for Music Policy Forum, a North American organization dedicated to providing resources and strengthening networks within the music sector.  Ashlye is the Chair of the community advisory board for WWOZ 90.7FM, the President of the Tchoupitoulas Art Corridor and the Vice-President of the Dave Bartholomew Culture Center.  She has served on numerous boards including the Recording Academy, OffBeat Music and Cultural Arts Foundation, the New Orleans Fringe Festival, NOVAC and the Jazzy Hideaway. 

Beyond New Orleans, Ashlye has convened stakeholders and presented at conferences at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Georgetown University, Canadian Music Week, the NoncomMusic Alliance, National Endowment for the Arts, South Arts, and other organizations steeped in conversations around developing best practices focused on fairness and equity in promoting thriving creative industries and cultural ecosystems. Ashlye has been recognized with numerous accolades including Avenue Magazine’s 2022 Activists of the Year; OffBeat Magazine’s Best Music Attorney/Resource for 11 years; The Advocate’s Forty under 40; New Orleans CityBusiness Leadership in Law; and the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame Legal Eagle Award for her work with Mardi Gras Indians. Ashlye was a ballet/tap instructor and choreographer until 2020 and still enjoys dancing in her free time.

Jed started His career on Wall Street in 1986 at Lehman Brothers, and with such successful track record, was hired to run JP Morgan’s CMO Derivative Desk where he managed a 2.5 Billion Dollar position for the Bank. As an expert in his field, is consulted by many notable institutions in the world regarding Government Bonds and has been a consultant for the FBI, SEC and FINRA.

As CEO of Shearson, a Wall Street Firm, He leads 30 professionals with over 2,000 clients.

He has Extensive Sports management experience both as a Majority and Minority Owner. As a Founding Member of the NBADL Leadership Committee, he helped build the league from 12 teams to 28.

Jed is also the Managing Partner of Shearson Sports Opportunity Fund, a Private Equity Fund which will invest in Multiple Major and Minor League Sports Teams.

Minority Owner, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, 2012-Present

Board Member, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, 2012-Present

Minority Owner, Orlando City, MLS, 2020-2021

Managing Partner, Iowa Energy, NBADL, 2014-2017

Minority Owner, Erie Bayhawks, NBADL, 2008-2014

Co-Managing Partner, Loudoun United, USL 2017-2020

CEO, Simplicity Esports, 2017-2021

Owner, Florida Sharks, USBL, 1994-1996

Julie Haffner is Head of Motion Picture Business Affairs for WME.  Previously, she was Director of Business and Legal Affairs at Netflix. She negotiates high-level deals for the Original Studio Film group’s slate of motion pictures, and has been responsible for projects including “The Hillbilly Elegy”, “Yes Day”, “The Christmas Chronicles”, and “Me Time”. She also negotiates and manages overall deals for producers including 21 Laps (Shawn Levy) and Hartbeat (Kevin Hart).

Prior to Netflix, Haffner was Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at Entertainment One, where she negotiated motion picture development, production, financing, and distribution deals for eOne and its partner companies, including Makeready and The Mark Gordon Company.

Before eOne, Haffner spent six-and-a-half years in the Motion Picture Group at Paramount Pictures negotiating agreements for films including “Flight,” “Nebraska,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” and “GI Joe 2.” Prior to joining Paramount, Haffner was Vice President of Business Affairs at The Weinstein Company, and negotiated deals for “August: Osage County,” “Halloween” and numerous other productions.

Haffner started her in-house studio career at Warner Bros. Pictures working on “The Departed” and “Superman Returns.” Prior to becoming an in-house studio lawyer, she spent several years in private practice representing talent in their negotiations with studios.

Haffner teaches a Fall semester Entertainment Law class at USC Gould School of Law. She received her JD, cum laude, from Tulane University School of Law. While at Tulane, Julie was the Senior Managing Editor of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, and published her case note. She was also a Senior Fellow/Teaching Assistant for the Law School’s Legal Research and Writing Program, as well as a student attorney in Tulane’s Environmental Law Clinic. She received her BA cum laude, with departmental honors in Political Science, from Barnard College of Columbia University. At Barnard, she was awarded the coveted Bear Pin for student leadership, and was the Editor in Chief of the Barnard College yearbook as well as a charter class member of the Columbia University chapter of Alpha Chi Omega.

Renee Gomila served as an NCAA Associate Director of Enforcement from 2002 to 2014, where she helped lead multiple investigations of NCAA rule violations and, among other things, liaised and coordinated with the NCAA Recruiting Cabinet and Football Issues Subcommittee and worked with the student-athlete reinstatement staff on eligibility issues. Renee coordinated the enforcement department’s football development plans for Florida and Texas, working directly with college and high school football coaches, student-athletes and administrators to provide rules interpretations and address recruiting and eligibility issues.

Prior to joining the NCAA, Renee worked in the athletics compliance office at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Renee received her law degree from Tulane University School of Law in 2000. She received her Master’s of Science from Florida International University in 1996, and her Bachelor’s of Science in 1994.

Renee currently operates RG Sports Consulting, where she provides legal and compliance management advice to college coaches and administrators and student-athletes. Gomila also works with insurance firm, James D. Edgeworth, to advocate for additional insurance and related benefits for student-athletes, and she consults with legal firms to assess legal and risk management issues within football and men’s basketball.

Lee Goldsmith serves as Senior Vice President and Senior Media Counsel at the National Football League, where he leads a team responsible for legal and business affairs in connection with all aspects of the NFL’s media businesses.  His work focuses primarily on the NFL’s agreements with game telecast partners CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC and Amazon and the distribution of NFL content through traditional and emerging platforms.  Prior to joining the NFL in 2014, Lee served as a media/content attorney at MLB Advanced Media and then at Comcast.  He began his career as an associate in the Sports Practice Group at Proskauer and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the NYU School of Law.

Robert Fyvolent was born in Tampa, Florida. He graduated with a degree in political science from Tulane University in New Orleans and thereafter attended law school at South Texas College of Law in Houston and Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles, earning his JD degree. Robert spent five years working as an attorney for The Walt Disney Company and another five years at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he acted as Assistant General Counsel in the Screen Gems and Home Entertainment divisions.

While at Sony, Robert worked as counsel for the studio on independently produced film acquisitions, which included titles such as Arlington Road, Black and White, and David Cronenberg’s Crash, as well as titles from the Jim Henson library. Robert worked for 11 years at Newmarket Films where, as the Head of Business and Legal Affairs, helped build a library of over 250 films. Newmarket Films was the independent production and theatrical distribution company responsible for such well known films as Memento, Donnie Darko, Whale Rider, Monster, The Prestige and Boondock Saints. His work with Newmarket on Passion of the Christ, led to the most successful independent theatrical film release in history. Prior to winning a Sundance Award Winner for his own produced film, Robert worked on a prior Sundance winning documentary, “God Grew Tired of Us” which was acquired during the festival for worldwide distribution by Newmarket.

Robert is currently a solo entertainment law practitioner with a broad range of entertainment industry clients; Production legal work has included such films as “Trumbo” “Cake”, “Cries from Syria” and “Captain Fantastic”. His work with Oscar nominated client and documentary filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky, led to an Executive Producer credit on “Francesco”. For over 10 years, Robert has represented LatinX oriented Pantelion Films, producer of the Eugenio Derbez movies, “Instructions Not Included”, “How to Be A Latin Lover”, and “Overboard” and “Radical” which will open the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Robert was a PGA accredited producer on the documentary entitled Summer of Soul (Or…When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. The documentary has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Audience and Grand Jury Prizes at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, as well as 6 New York Critics’ Choice Awards, a Peabody Award, The Independent Spirit Award, BAFTA, Best Documentary from the Producers Guild of America, an Oscar for Best Documentary from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, and a Grammy for Best Music Film.

Robert is also a WGA member and worked professionally as a screenwriter; He won first prize in an Atom Films screenwriting competition. He later collaborated and was a credited writer on the original screenplay, Untraceable, which was produced staring Diane Lane and directed by Gregory Hoblit. The film was released theatrically in February 2008 by Sony Screen Gems Pictures. He’s also written for Dreamworks and other independent producers.

Robert has regularly attended film markets around the world and has been invited to speak at industry invents including the Rio Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival; his legal work has involved all aspects of film and television production, acquisition, financing and distribution as well as the representation of writers, producers and other talent. Currently, Robert is continuing to work as a producer on a documentary film slate through his company Mass Distraction Media.

Jeff Frost enjoys over 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry, having worked at the highest levels of some of the most prominent television enterprises in the business. Frost most recently served as President of Sony Pictures Television Studios (“SPTS”), overseeing the studio’s rise to become the leading independent television studio. Frost is currently President of Bristol Circle Entertainment (“BCE”), a boutique production company focused on developing and producing premium and scripted dramas and comedies from some of the most preeminent writers and creators.

Representative Significant Accomplishments

• Frost orchestrated and successfully conducted the renegotiation with AMC for Breaking Bad that unlocked the rights for Sony to sell library episodes to Netflix, which exposed the iconic, yet then sparsely viewed series to new and broader audiences. This development helped to ultimately cement the iconic series as one of the greatest television projects of all time.
• Frost devised and implemented the strategy to move Norman Lear’s One Day at a Time from Netflix to CBS and Pop TV, marking it as the first major television series to move from Netflix to linear television.
• Frost devised and negotiated some of the earliest license agreements with the leading streamers, including Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, helping to usher in the era of original content at streaming platforms and achieved some of the highest license premiums paid to an independent studio by those streamers to date.
• Frost was instrumental in the rise of Sony Pictures Television Studios to its dominant position in the industry, overseeing the remarkable increase in the licensing of television series from less than a dozen to more than 50, including some of the most critically acclaimed and widely viewed programs on their respective platforms. Frost formulated and managed the business, licensing and creative strategy that resulted in the studio’s dramatic ascension.
• Under his newly formed production company, Bristol Circle Entertainment, Frost choreographed the development and licensing of the latest Vince Gilligan series, culminating in a two season straight to series order from Apple+ and significant premium license fee.

Bristol Circle Entertainment

Frost currently serves as President of Bristol Circle Entertainment, a premium production company dedicated to creating exceptional and distinctive television projects for digital, cable and broadcast platforms. Frost oversees all creative, business and production facets of the company, including devising and implementing the overall strategic focus of the venture. Shortly after the launch of the company, BCE’s first production, the Untitled Vince Gilligan Project, was licensed to Apple+ in the most significant and prominent television sale of the year. BCE is currently developing several premium properties based on underlying works of Stephen King, John Grisham and Stan Lee.

Sony Pictures Television Studios

Frost served as President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, managing all production, creative, business, marketing, research and programming divisions of the studio. Under his tenure, SPTS produced more than 50 television programs, distributed on more than 20 different platforms from broadcast to cable to streaming, including some of the most highly regarded and prominent programs on those platforms. SPTS’ productions encompassed all aspects of television, including scripted dramas and comedies, unscripted series, animation, game shows, soap operas, syndicated talk shows and television movies and limited series. As the largest and most prolific independent television studio, SPTS produced programming for virtually every major distribution platform, including Netflix, Apple+, Amazon, HBO, Showtime, Starz, FX, AMC, ABC, NBC and CBS. Productions included The Boys, Cobra Kai, Better Call Saul, The Good Doctor, Shark Tank, Wheel of Time, Crossing Swords, The Afterparty, S.W.A.T., The Blacklist and Outlander.

Frost was instrumental in recruiting and retaining some of SPTS’ premier talent for the studio, including Phil Lord & Chris Miller, Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa, Amy Lippman, Vince Gilligan, Carla Kettner, Neil Moritz, Norman Lear, Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters, Nick Stoller and Tyler the Creator. Frost also orchestrated the move of numerous series from one platform to another, following cancellation on the initial platform, including Cobra Kai from You Tube to Netflix, One Day at A Time from Netflix to Pop and LA’s Finest from NBC to Spectrum. Frost was actively involved in the creation of numerous new business templates and license agreements with broadcasters, streamers and cable networks as the industry evolved and the business needs of studios and distributors transformed. Frost also established Gemstone Studios, the innovative sub-studio within SPTS focused on creating and producing cost-efficient, quality “indie” style programming.

Formerly, as Executive Vice-President, U.S. Business Affairs for SPT, Frost played a lead role in SPT’s overall strategy and negotiations with the studio’s broadcast and production partners and talent, overseeing the studio’s U.S. Business Affairs Department, including day to day operations as well as strategic counsel on the company’s network, cable and syndicated television productions. Frost managed SPT’s negotiations between the studio and its partners at networks, production companies, talent, and other outside companies. In this role, Frost was one of the key architects of the initial licensing templates for emerging platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu.

Earlier Positions

Frost joined SPT in 2008 from ABC Studios, where he served as Senior Vice-President, Business Affairs for the studio’s traditional production arm, as well as their digital media group. Frost joined ABC in 1997 as an attorney in the litigation department and, beginning in 1999, held posts in the legal affairs and business affairs departments for the production company, Touchstone Television, through 2003, when he segued into ABC Cable Networks as Senior Vice-President and Head of Legal Affairs. He rejoined Touchstone Television in 2005 as Senior Vice-President, leading the legal department before taking on his role at SPT in Business Affairs. Series in which Frost was involved include Lost, Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.

Prior to serving at TriStar, Burkin was head of business affairs and operations at Sony’s International Motion Picture Production unit, which produces theatrical features in local languages around the world, including in China, Russia, India and Germany. Previously, Burkin worked for nearly 10 years at Miramax Films, where he was senior vice president of business affairs.

Burkin started his career in New York City, where he practiced corporate law, commercial litigation and transactional entertainment law. Burkin earned his BA from Penn State University and his JD from Tulane University Law School.

Tim Francis is a writer, producer, and practicing lawyer. He was born and raised on a Black college campus in New Orleans where his father, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, was the longest serving college president in U.S. history. From there, Tim went on to work for a U.S. Cabinet Secretary and a U.S. Senator before moving to Los Angeles to work for Stevie Wonder. Since then, Tim and Stevie worked closely with the Secretary General of the United Nations to pass a global treaty that impacts the visually impaired. As a writer-producer, Tim has had a first look deal at Sony Pictures, a television project at Fremantle Media, and has a feature in development with Gary Ross and Matt Jackson, and a feature in development with Steven Pearl and Adam Kolbrenner at Lit Entertainment. Tim serves on the Board of Administrators of Tulane University, the Trombone Shorty Foundation, and the Murphy Institute- a political economy think-tank.

Paul Friedman is Senior Vice President of the Music Affairs Group at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Paul is responsible for music transactions on behalf of SPE’s global operations and its affiliated entities and production and distribution companies. He handles the acquisition of music rights for theatrical, television, home entertainment, online, mobile and videogame productions, as well as consumer products, marketing, promotions and merchandise. Paul also oversees music transactions involving new media outlets to exploit music content online and has spearheaded key deals with Apple, Amazon, Google, YouTube and others. Prior to joining Sony Pictures, Paul practiced law in Los Angeles for King, Holmes, Paterno and Berliner, LLP, worked as a financial analyst for Polygram Music Publishing, and as an attorney at two other Los Angeles-based law firms.

Curtis Franks is the General Counsel, FIFA World Cup at FIFA.  Curtis joined FIFA in August 2023 and leads the legal department dedicated to the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Club World Cup Tournaments across the United States, Mexico and Canada.  Curtis handles all corporate, governance and compliance matters, and serves as the primary legal advisor to executive management in the planning and delivery of the Tournaments.

Prior to joining FIFA, Curtis served as Senior Legal Counsel, Head of Global Marketing Partnerships for The Coca-Cola Company.  In this role, Curtis led the legal team responsible for the acquisition of Coca-Cola’s global marketing assets across the sports, entertainment and music categories as well as partnerships with top marketing and media agencies.  Curtis has also held roles as Associate General Counsel with the NCAA, Senior Counsel – Business and Legal Affairs for the NBC Sports Group, and began his career with the Atlanta Hawks.

Curtis was an awardee of The University of Georgia’s 40 Under 40 Award in 2015.  Curtis earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from The University of Georgia, and a law degree from Tulane University Law School.  Curtis is a native of Atlanta, GA and currently resides in Coral Gables, FL.

Jeff Dorso is currently in his seventh season with the Sacramento Kings, where he serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel.

Dorso oversees all legal and real estate development matters for the Sacramento Kings and its group of companies, which include the LEED Platinum Golden 1 Center, the NBA G-League team Stockton Kings, Kings Guard Gaming of the NBA 2K esports league, the award-winning Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, and the Sacramento River Cats, the AAA baseball affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

Prior to coming in house with the Kings, Dorso co-founded and served as Managing Partner of Pioneer Law Group LLP, where his practice included work for clients, such as Airbnb, LiveNation, the Sacramento Kings, and San Jose Sharks. In 2013, the Mayor of Sacramento engaged Dorso to help lead the fight to keep the Kings in Sacramento, negotiate and develop a public-private partnership for the financing of a new arena, and identify a new ownership group to purchase the Sacramento Kings. Following that success, the Kings engaged Dorso as lead outside counsel overseeing the entitlement, litigation, and development of the award winning Golden 1 Center and surrounding Downtown Commons development.

Dorso is an active member of the academic and non-profit communities. He currently serves as a Visiting Adjunct Professor at the UC Davis Law School where he teaches the business of professional sports. He also has served on the board of directors of the Sacramento Ballet Company, the Sacramento Zoo, Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief, Solar Cookers International, CLARA – the E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts, and Valley Vision.

Dorso graduated in 2001 with a juris doctorate from Tulane Law School, with a specialty certificate in Sports Law.

Keith P. Carroll is a trial attorney in Holland & Knight’s Boston office and is the co-chair of the firm’s Chambers USA rated Sports Industry Team, which clients observe “top to bottom is incredibly qualified, diligent and excellent to work with.” Mr. Carroll works with public, private and closely held companies, senior executives and boards across many industries with a focus on complex commercial litigation and closely held company business disputes. He also regularly advises prominent professional sports leagues, franchises, senior executives and athletes with regard to internal investigations, business disputes, and other sensitive and high-profile matters.

Mr. Carroll’s experience covers a wide range of subjects, including commercial contract disputes, antitrust claims, fiduciary duties, intellectual property, corporate governance, negligence, healthcare and life sciences, class actions, eminent domain, insurance coverage/bad faith disputes, and regulatory matters and investigations within the sports industry. He has also successfully argued appeals in multiple state and federal jurisdictions, including the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First and Second Circuits.

Mr. Carroll is an experienced and recognized trial counsel with more than 20 matters taken to verdict, decision or award in numerous state and federal courts and arbitration forums. Mr. Carroll is also individually ranked in Chambers USA, where clients have cited his “outstanding professionalism” and noted that “he offers good practical advice” and is “knowledgeable and easy to work with.” He has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Benchmark Litigation for his litigation skills and by the Sports Business Journal as a Power Player Outside Counsel.

In the sports industry, Mr. Carroll has conducted numerous internal investigations for professional sports leagues and teams and has successfully represented multiple clients in investigations conducted by Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). He has also successfully represented clients in multiple sports-related litigation matters and arbitrations, including National Basketball Association (NBA) and NHL-related business disputes, and a disciplinary appeal before the NBPA.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Carroll served as a law clerk to the Honorable Christopher F. Droney in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. During law school, he was articles editor and member of the editorial board for the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Carroll was co-chair of the sports and entertainment practice for a large U.S. law firm in its Boston office.