Categories
Sports Law

Harvard Law School Sports Law Symposium: Resiting the Recession

What: Symposium: Resiting the Recession: Growth Opportunities for Sports in an Economic Downturn..

Where: Harvard Law School.  See map.

When: Friday, March 13, 2009 – 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 14, 2009 – 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Schedule:

March 13:

  • 4:00-5:00 pm: Keynote Speech by Andrew Zimbalist
  • 5:00-6:30 pm: Panel on New Stadiums
    • Moderator: Peter Carfagna, Partner, Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP (Cleveland, OH) Lecturer on Law, Harvard Law School
    • Marc Edelman, Visiting Assistant Professor, Rutgers School of Law
    • Derek Jackson, Vice President & General Counsel, Florida Marlins
    • Damon Jones, Vice President / Club Counsel, Washington Nationals
    • Andy Lee, Principal, ALL Counsel & Consulting, Former General Counsel, New York Jets
    • Mike Lufrano, Senior Vice President, Community Affairs/General Counsel, Chicago Cubs
    • Allan G. Mutchnik, Partner, Skadden, Arps (Los Angeles)
  • 6:30-8:30 pm: Reception

March 14

  • 10:30 am-12:00 pm: Panel on New Media
    • Moderator: Rick Karcher, Associate Professor, Center for Law and Sports at Florida Coastal School of Law
    • Bob Bowman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Major League Baseball Advanced Media LP
    • Frank Hawkins, Partner, Scalar Media
    • Mike Mellis, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Major League Baseball Advanced Media LP
    • Bryan Perez, Senior Vice President and General Manager, NBA Digital
    • Mike Zarren, Assistant Executive Director of Basketball Operations/Associate Counsel, Boston Celtics
  • 12:00 pm-1:30 pm: Lunch & Speech by Jeff Pash (Executive Vice President, National Football League)
  • 2:00 pm-3:30 pm: Panel on New Markets
    • Moderator: Michael McCann, Associate Professor of Law, Vermont Law School, Legal Analyst and Si.com Columnist, Sports Illustrated, Co-Founder, Harvard Law School Project on Law and Mind Sciences
    • Rob Friedrich, NBA China
    • Eric Nyquist, Managing Director of Business Development, NASCAR
    • Jon Oram, Partner, Proskauer Rose
    • Jim Renacci, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee, Arena Football League

Cost: Free for everybody; however, if you want to attend the reception and lunch, you must register prior to the event.  Register here.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.