Sports and Recreation

Sports

Our sports attorneys, primarily based in North Carolina, include former NCAA athletes, a former NFL board member for the Charlotte chapter of the NFLPA’s retired players division, and the Charlotte Touchdown Club, as well as the Board of Advisors to the NIL Prep Foundation. The Charlotte Touchdown Club hosts the Bronko Nagurski Award Ceremony, recognizing the nation’s top collegiate defensive football player.

We practice extensively in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) space with athletes, businesses, universities, agencies, and collectives. Our NIL practice is recognized as one of the very best in the nation. 

Who We Represent

• Athletes: Current and former professional athletes
• Organizations: Major collegiate universities and athletics programs, sports agencies, current and former professional athletes, pro teams, including three MLB teams, sports executives, race teams, and drivers
• Industry participants: National and regional sports organizations, sports product manufacturers, and industry service providers

Outdoor Recreation

We advise on industry-specific legal issues from the perspective of active industry participants. Our clients would say we're as passionate about helping them achieve their business goals as we are about summitting Mount Everest.

With multiple offices in the nation's top outdoor recreation economies, our firm is proud to be a member of the Outdoor Industry Association. Our lawyers participate in industry events and advocacy efforts through the association, making us better overall legal advisors.

Our Clients

• Adventure companies
• Community recreation service organizations
• Off-road vehicle manufacturers
• Outdoor clothing retailers
• Recreational equipment companies

• Provided employment and intellectual property counseling, including patent and trademark counseling, to a well-known outdoor apparel company.
• Represented high profile clients in NFL and related congressional investigations.
• Acted as arbitration counsel for national youth sports camp company in litigation over sale of the company, resulting in favorable settlement prior to arbitration hearing.
• Represented a client in the golf accessory and equipment business in a private offering to raise capital to acquire a complementary business, which enabled our client to expand into new product markets.
• Represented sports teams, universities, and athletes in high-stakes endorsement deals and NIL agreements. 
• Served as litigation counsel for a national ski resort company in business tort claims resulting from real estate development as well as another client in connection with cold weather injury claims sustained during wilderness therapy program.