Adisa Bakari is a rare breed of sports agent. He has been able to build a successful practice representing professional football players while attached to a law firm. The specific law firm that Bakari was aligned with for many years is Dow Lohnes PLLC, where he served as a partner and created the firm’s sports and entertainment division over a decade ago. But Bakari is now “on to the next one,” and has left Dow Lohnes PLLC to chair a new Sports Entertainment Group at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.
Bakari is not the only attorney departing from Dow Lohnes to start up the new Sports Entertainment Group at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. His partner of four years, Jeffery A. Whitney is coming along for the ride. Together, Bakari and Whitney will continue to represent over 30 NFL players including Maurice Jones-Drew, Matt Forte and Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Le’Veon Bell. The duo’s running backs alone gives them a strong practice.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be joining Kelley Drye,” said Bakari. “The firm’s geographic reach and preeminence in advertising and marketing law will enable us to better position our clients for short term and long term success.”
Bakari represented a total of five players selected in the 2013 NFL Draft (including the aforementioned Le’Veon Bell). Those players are: No. 105 overall pick Duke Williams (DB from Nevada selected by the Buffalo Bills), No. 118 overall pick Sean Porter (LB from Texas A&M selected by the Cincinnati Bengals), No. 149 overall pick Brandon McGee (DB from Miami selected by the St. Louis Rams) and No. 238 overall pick Aaron Mellette (WR from Elon selected by the Baltimore Ravens).
