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Gaylord Sports Loses An Agent To A Law Firm

When I talk to attorneys who are not involved in the business of sports, I oftentimes hear them tell me that they would do anything to quit their jobs and become sports agents.  Whether it be that they hate their day jobs or they see the agent business as being something fun and exciting, there is something that pushes many attorneys to pay state athlete agent fees and players association fees.  One thing you rarely hear about is an agent quitting his job to work at Big Law.  Gregg Clifton is a rebel.

Clifton was a baseball agent with Gaylord Sports Management (sorry, but I am not feeling the intro music), the company that recently grabbed Dan Uggla from Beverly Hills Sports Council.  Prior to joining Gaylord, Clifton served as a legal intern for the general counsel of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and was also once CEO of Bob Woolf Associates.  While at Gaylord, Clifton carried the title of Vice President, Baseball Division, along with Terry Bross, who will likely lead Gaylord’s baseball division in the future.

The law firm that has gained Clifton is Jackson Lewis LLP, which specializes in workplace law.  The firm’s slogan is, “All we do is work.”  How often do you think associates crack jokes about that one?  The word is that Clifton will remain in the world of sports, being a major part of the firm’s Sports Industry Practice Group.  I cannot find any information about this group from the Jackson Lewis LLP website.

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.

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