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4th Annual New York Law School Sports Law Symposium Re-Scheduled For This Month

The 4th Annual New York Law School Sports Law Symposium was supposed to take place on November 2, 2012 (I even wrote about it here), but then Hurricane Sandy became a major storm, caused devastation in New York, and caused the symposium planners to postpone the event.  However, their resolve has been demonstrated, and the event is reborn.  On Friday, February 22, 2013, NYLS will host its 4th Annual Sports Law Symposium, and I promise to be in attendance (absent a natural disaster).

The Symposium will be held at 185 West Broadway, New York, NY [W201 (Events Center)].  While originally I was to speak on both the Intellectual Property Issues in Sports and Breaking Into the Sports Industry panels, the IP panel was scrapped.  I will still be speaking on the Breaking Into the Sports Industry Panel and added the Negotiating Media Rights Acquisitions Panel, as well.

Here is the info provided by NYLS:

Tentative PANELS

12:00 pm – Registration Opens

12:45 pm – Opening Remarks

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Bankruptcy Issues in Sports (1 CLE Credit – Professional Practice (“P.P.”) )

2:15 pm – 3:15 pm – Analysis and Impact of the Concussion Litigation (1 CLE Credit – P.P.)

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Negotiating Media Rights Acquisitions (1 CLE Credit – P.P.)

4:45 pm – 5:30 pm – Breaking Into the Sports Industry Q&A

5:30 pm – Networking Reception 

PANELISTS *

Jodi Balsam, Associate Professor at NYLS; Former Counsel for Operations and Litigation at the NFL

Robert Boland, Professor of Sports Management & Sports Business at New York University 

Robert Erb ’91, CEO at Schutt Sports; Adjunct Professor at New York Law School  

Frank Golding, YouTube Director, Head of Sports for North America at Google 

Frank Hawkins, Partner at Scalar Media Partners; Former SVP Business Affairs at the NFL 

Darren Heitner, Founder of the Sports Agent Blog; Partner at Wolfe Law; Contributor at Forbes Magazine; 

Jeannine Kenney, Associate Counsel at Hausfeld LLC; Plantiff’s Liason Counsel for NFL concussion litigation

J. Carlos Kuri, Vice President and General Counsel at New York Red Bulls  

Jeffrey Levitan ’83, Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP

Michael McCann, Legal Analysts at SI & NBA TV; Professor & Director of Sports Law Institute at Vermont Law School;  

Matthew Pace, Partner at Arent Fox LLP

Irwin Raij, Partner and co-chair of the Sports Industry Team at Foley & Lardner LLP

Robert Raiola, CPA; Sports & Entertainment Group Manager at Fazio, Mannuzza, Roche, Tankel, LaPilusa, LLC

Frank Saviano, Associate at Proskauer Rose LLP

Alan Schwarz, Reporter at New York Times

David Soskin ’08, Counsel at ESPN, Inc.; Adjunct Professor at New York Law School  

Meredith Wolff, Associate Staff Attorney at NHL Enterprises, L.P.

*panelists subject to change 

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.