Many Thomas Jefferson graduates have gone on to careers in the entertainment and sports industries in positions ranging from managing intellectual property in advertising portfolios to representing professional athletes to serving as the general manager of a major league baseball team.
Students interested in a career in amateur or professional sports should consider participating in Thomas Jefferson Sports Law Center which provides special programming and opportunities to network with lawyers practicing in a variety of sports-law related areas.
Preparing yourself for a career in these competitive fields requires a firm grounding in contracts as well as copyright, trademark, and privacy law. Thomas Jefferson prides itself in providing these foundational courses regularly so that students can take them early in their law school careers and then move on to more advanced entertainment and sports electives. Thomas Jefferson's Sports Law Society is one of the most active student groups on campus. It has presented numerous, highly successful conferences providing invaluable networking opportunities with lawyers working in both professional and college sports. Like all Thomas Jefferson faculty, the professors who teach foundational and advanced courses in the entertainment and sports areas have open door policies and encourage students to work directly with them on papers as well as research and advocacy projects. Through our cutting edge externship program, Thomas Jefferson students also regularly earn law school credit working in entertainment-and sports-related fields.
Also, visit The Center for Sports Law & Policy.
Director & Adjunct Professor of Law Jeremy M. Evans '11 (Center for Sports Law & Policy (CSLP), Counseling & Negotiation in the Sports Industry: A Client Interviewing Workshop for Sports Professionals, and Introduction to the World of Sports Law: Amateur, International, and Professional) is the Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer, representing sports and entertainment professionals in contract drafting, negotiations, licensing and career growth. He provides legal advice and general counsel services for businesses, which includes development, document and agreement drafting, review, negotiations, protection and compliance. Evans is an award-winning attorney and community leader. Evans is the Founder and Director of the National Sports Law Negotiation Competition (NSLNC), a nationally recognized sports law competition and conference hosted by the CSLP. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, emphasis in American Politics. He earned his law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where he served as President of the Student Bar Association, and Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper, The Jeffersonian. While in law school, he competed three times in the National Baseball Arbitration Competition (NBAC), held in New Orleans, LA. He is the now the Coach for the NBAC Competition Team from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, which won the Championship in 2012.
Adjunct Professor Randy Grossman '94 (Introduction to Sports Law and Professional Sports Law) a graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law he has represented numerous major league baseball players. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law and member of the Board of Trustees at Thomas Jefferson and teaches both Professional Sports Law and Trial Practice. Professor Grossman is certified as a player agent by the Major League Baseball Player’s Association and represents former players as well, such as Hall of Famer Dave Winfield and 7-time All-Star Tim Raines. During the course of his career, he has worked with players ranging from Hank Aaron to Willie Mays. Professor Grossman began as a sportscaster for an NBC television affiliate on the nightly news. From there, he went to work for former L.A. Dodger and San Diego Padre Steve Garvey, who had a sports marketing company, where Professor Grossman was exposed to the world of corporate marketing and endorsements for professional athletes. During this period, he worked with clients such as Magic Johnson, Tony Gwynn and Robin Ventura, pairing them with companies such as Canon, Xerox and Rawlings. Professor Grossman now advises the Sports Law Society and helps organize the National Sports Law Negotiation Competition, PAD Mock Trial Competitions held in Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. and the National Baseball Arbitration Competition held at Tulane University Law School. Professor Grossman has traveled to Africa and China on Major League Baseball goodwill tours. He has attended Major League Baseball games at 29 of the 30 current stadiums.
Adjunct Professor Jack A. Green (Amateur Sports Law and International Sports Law) Jack A. Green has served as Professor of Management at Wentworth Institute of Technology since his retirement from Converse Inc. From 2002-2007 he was also Department Head for the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Management. From 1972-2002 he was employed by Converse, the global athletic footwear and apparel company as its Senior Vice President Administration, General Counsel and Secretary. Mr. Green was responsible for Converse’s legal, intellectual property, real estate, human resources, investor relations, apparel, information technology, licensing and facilities management functions. Additionally, he served as Corporate Secretary, Chairman of the Pension and Benefits Committee and Vice President, General Counsel and Director of all worldwide subsidiaries. Mr. Green has served as a Director and Chairman of the Board of Arrow Mutual Liability Insurance Company from 1997 to the present. From 2000 to 2012 he was Adjunct Professor of Business Law at Tufts University. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Commissioners of the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education. Mr. Green also serves as General Counsel and/or Business Consultant for numerous companies including, Ma-Shan Iron & Steel Company, Converse Mexico, Converse Argentina, Seligence LLC, Freedom Innovations, Inc. and Patriot Benefits LLC. He holds Bachelor of Business Administration and Juris Doctor Degrees from the University of Michigan. He has guest lectured widely, including at Harvard Business and Law Schools, the University of Notre Dame Law School and Princeton University. He currently teaches International Sports Law at Thomas Jefferson Law School in San Diego, CA and Business Law at Miracosta College in Oceanside, CA.
Adjunct Professor of Law James R. McCurdy (Professional Sports Law and Professional Sports Law & the Use of Corporate Analytics) James R. McCurdy is an Adjunct Professor of Law in the Center for Sports Law & Policy at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, teaching Professional Sports Law among other courses. He is also Professor Emeritus at Gonzaga University School of Law. He is co-author of an innovative casebook, Sports Law: Cases & Materials (5th ed. 2003). He has served as president of the Pioneer Baseball League, and been a member of the Council of League Presidents for minor league baseball.
Adjunct Professor Lacy J Lodes '08 (Counseling Athletes & Actors on Product Merchandising) is an Alumna of Thomas Jefferson School of Law and has extensive experience in Intellectual Property related services, ranging from managing a voluminous IP portfolio, implementing strategies for proper global IP protection, coordinating license agreements and advising on product development in a proactive manner to facilitate extensive protection for future success. Through her work with large sports and entertainment product companies, she focuses on product through the development lifecycle, including, international production, distribution, marketing, and sweepstakes/packaging issues that arise with licensed product. Additionally, Ms. Lodes facilitates celebrity/athlete endorsements of product, or inclusion of celebrity rights of publicity built into the product to develop fandom collectibles.