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Former NBA Agent Disbarred In The State Of Washington

bradley marshallSqueezing clients for fees and bullying them into accepting settlements will easily make you a very unpopular person amongst those you represent.  It will also make you a target for competing agents who are always looking for something to use against others in the industry.  If you really do some awful things, the consequences could be even worse.

Bradley R. Marshall was an attorney that had been accepted to practice law in the state of Washington.  He began his career as a sports agent, representing NBA players like Doug Christie, Clifford Robinson, James Edwards, Spencer Haywood, and Jason Terry (now represented by Dan Fegen at BEST).  Beyond serving as many athletes’ negotiator for their professional contracts, Marshall was also retained for his legal counsel in relation athletes’ problems with deceptive business partners and other opportunistic individuals.  Meanwhile, it seems like it was Marshall doing the deceptive acts and it looks as if the athletes should have hired someone to protect them against Marshall.

As reported by The Seattle Times, the Washington Supreme Court disbarred Marshall for numerous ethical and legal violations.  The State Bar Association had charged Marshall with twelve counts of violating the state’s Rules of Professional Conduct.

“These violations include demands for additional fees to continue a lawsuit that was paid for on a flat-fee basis, filing a lawsuit and a lien against a client who refused to pay him additional fees, a deceptive attempt to compel settlement, failure to obtain consent for a conflict of client interest, and other deceptive practices,” wrote Justice James Johnson. “These facts are accompanied by multiple aggravating factors, including prior discipline for similar conduct.”

A man who taught ethics and business law at Seattle Pacific University was found to have no ethics.  In his LinkedIN profile, Marshall wrote,

Bradley Marshall is committed to the highest standards of professionalism, and his personal ethics and dedication on behalf of his clients have earned him the respect and accolades of his peers, as well as community and government leaders.

The state of Washington disagrees.  Side note: Marshall’s website is no longer online.

The actual Washington Supreme Court decision is embedded below.

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.

One reply on “Former NBA Agent Disbarred In The State Of Washington”

Im very happy to hear that about the pros and cons of the agent world, however, with the credentials and assigned tasks Mr. Marshall esq. had, he shouldve known better, my son who plays basketball, were looking for a decent and well rounded agent, that can help him. Not beat him

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