ABA Journal

Entertainment & Sports Law

1096 ABA Journal Entertainment & Sports Law articles.

Transgender girl can stay on team, for now, after SCOTUS denial; action comes as US proposes new Title IX rule

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday refused to reinstate a West Virginia law that bans transgender athletes from playing on female sports teams.

‘Never Far From Home’ chronicles lawyer’s journey from NYC projects to Microsoft executive offices

Bruce Jackson grew up shuttling between Brooklyn and Manhattan public housing projects in New York City. His journey led him to Hofstra University and then the Georgetown University Law Center. He ditched a white-shoe firm job to launch a career in entertainment law and represented some of the hottest hip-hop and rap artists in the 1990s.

When artists gain fame after death, questions can arise over copyright ownership

Several legal fights have pitted family members of an artist who died without a will against parties accused of commercially exploiting the artist’s work. Collectors or entrepreneurs who have obtained an artist’s physical work may then be tempted to try to profit from its underlying intellectual property, but they are different things.

Lawyer banned from Madison Square Garden isn’t entitled to injunction, New York appeals court rules

A lawyer banned from Madison Square Garden after suing the venue isn’t entitled to an injunction forcing Madison Square Garden to admit him and his colleagues to events, according to a New York appeals court.

Weekly Briefs: Lawyer’s Super Bowl ad leads to litigation; 2 BigLaw firms end merger talks

NFL objects to firm’s Super Bowl ad, leading to suit

The Dimopoulos Law Firm in Las Vegas is seeking a declaratory judgment that its Super Bowl commercial did not infringe…

Price of Super Bowl ads is on ‘eerily similar trajectory’ to profits per partner at Kirkland

The price of a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl in 1985 was $525,000. The cost wasn’t that far off from the average profits per partner at Kirkland & Ellis, which amounted to $405,000, according to figures by the American Lawyer. It was the first year that the publication reported on profits per partner.

Madison Square Garden lifts ban on some lawyers as it explores sale of Tao Group

The Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. has made a change to a policy that bans lawyers from its venues if they have "active litigation against the company."

Blackballed?

Accusations of systemic racism at the highest ranks of the NFL have plagued the league for decades. After the racial unrest of 2020, sports teams promoted their efforts to address problems through acts that proved more symbolic than effectual. But as is often the case, legal action rather than moral imperative is being used to try to effect change.

GC of Fender overcame life challenges to hit a high note

Aarash Darroodi’s boyhood in Iran led to a turbulent, decades-long journey during which he was separated from his parents, survived war, traveled throughout the Middle East and parts of Asia, and eventually landed a dream job as the top lawyer at one of America’s most iconic music companies.

Meet Fani Willis, the Georgia prosecutor investigating Trump and his allies

The Georgia prosecutor who will make the decision on whether to seek charges against former President Donald Trump or his allies is 51-year-old Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis, a former homicide prosecutor who now has a penchant for using the state’s broad racketeering law.

Girl Scouts mom is ousted from Rockettes show after facial recognition IDs her as lawyer in banned law firm

A New Jersey mom taking her daughter to see a show featuring the Rockettes as part of a Girl Scouts field trip was recently ousted from the Radio City Music Hall because facial recognition technology identified her as a lawyer at a law firm that sued a related venue.

Athletes who challenged transgender-inclusive sports policy are still champions and lack standing, 2nd Circuit rules

Standing issues and a lack of notice have doomed a challenge to a transgender-inclusive sports policy. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New York ruled Friday against four cisgender athletes in Connecticut who alleged that the policy deprived them of a fair shot at statewide track titles in high school.

Meet 12 ABA members who inspired us in 2022

In this year’s Members Who Inspire series, the ABA Journal featured 12 extraordinary ABA members who go to great lengths to embolden their clients, colleagues and members of the communities around them. Their work includes helping immigrants with tax issues, advocating for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and addressing racial injustice and inequality.

Laws are needed to prevent crowd crush disasters like Astroworld, expert says

Astroworld 2021 was one of the deadliest concerts in U.S. history. In all, 10 people in the audience died from injuries they sustained in the pressure-packed crowd that night. The youngest was a 9-year-old boy. According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, they all died from compression asphyxia when the pressure of the crowd against their chests prevented them from breathing.

Former NBA lawyer is changing the game with holistic legal consulting for athletes

When she joined the Clippers in 2015, Nicole Duckett was the first Black woman to serve as a chief legal officer for any NBA team. In July, she founded Nikki Duckett Collective, a full-service legal consulting firm that provides holistic representation to ambitious elite athletes. It’s about global branding, savvy deal-making and long-term success—things Duckett already has spent decades achieving for her clients.

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