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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11 replies on “Entrepreneur Success Story: Dynasty Athlete Representation, LLC”
Dynasty embodies two things that dominate my life, passion for sports and the law. Someday, I will work for you.
Great article. As usual, keep up the good work and represent!
Hey, great story. could you maybe talk a little bit about your football and basketball divisions. i noticed you have some clients in each division and i was curious how you landed them. did austin and william do the primary recruiting? what nfl and nba teams are u in contact with for contracts?
Thanks. We actually have a few more than the clients listed on the basketball page. They have become clients through a variety of ways whether it be Austin, me, or some other source. Additionally, our football guys have come through a variety of leads. Thus far, William has had nothing to do with our football guys. None of our current basketball guys are ready for the NBA yet; however, a few are listed as NBDL free agents, and some will be signing contracts in other leagues soon. The football guys are getting looks from NFL, AFL1, and AFL2 teams right now. We actually have more clients than those listed. Just takes some time to update everything.
Darren – Great article. Congrats! Looking forward to posting our audio interview on Jimmy Scott’s High & Tight in the next couple of weeks.
– Jimmy
I like the articles on Dynasty. I think sometimes agents need to generate PR for themselves, more than their clients, in order to start/maintain a business. When is your goal for having a client reaching what is usually considered a “professional” major sports league? Have you been able to get any marketing, print or community activity for any of your clients? If so, could you please tell us. Keep working hard; stay hungry but stay humble.
Always humble, and always thankful to those who have helped and continue to help make Dynasty what it is and will become. I would love to sign a professional client tomorrow. It will come soon, no doubt. We have generated print activity for our bowlers and baseball players by sending out our press releases.
thanks for the response. do you think you could list the additional football and basketball players so that the readers can be up to date on your company. also, i noticed in the UF article that you are trying to lock up some florida players for the 09 drafts. With agents like drew rosenhaus and other prominent florida agents in the area how do you expect to out compete them. will you try to become “friends” with the athlete and use them so you can sign them? will you use your “connections” to try and get an in with the player and their family? any shot at getting tebow one of these days?
The site will be updated soon enough and those listed on the site will be updated with the teams they will be on for the coming year once they sign. Many are currently in negotiations. I would love to have UF players as clients in the future. I plan on showing those at UF all of the positives of going with us instead of trying to compare us with other agencies. I would like to think that I am friends with all of our current clients, so I do not see why I could not have the same relationship with a future UF client. We will go through all the proper channels including going to Agent Day. We have not contacted Tebow, as we are not allowed to. However, when the time comes, we will definitely show him what we are all about. Do we have a shot? I have no idea.
thanks again for the response. for your football players will you get a percentage if they sign a AFL contract, or do you only collect on nfl contracts? Same thing with your basketball clients? also what kind of success has dynasty seen so far in terms of profit? i couldnt tell from the UF article wheather you generate a profit/deficit. Is your bowling division strong enough to gernerate money to fund the other divisions?
We will take a percentage on AFL and D-League/CBA/PBL/etc players. As I have mentioned in a comment in the past, I am open about almost everything. The finances stay private, though. I will just let you know that we are economically sound and not hurting for money.