Welcome to the 2023-24 Bar Year: A Message from the Chair
Dear Members of the Sports & Entertainment Law Section,
It is a joy and a pleasure to have been given the privilege to serve as the chair of the section for the 2023-24 bar year.
After three years of work-from-home and virtual events, I think we’ve reached that moment when so many of us are ready to meet each other in person again.
The legal industry is one that relies on relationships. As sports and entertainment professionals, that is amplified for us. We work, or are interested, in a field that seeks to motivate the general public to get out of their homes and into the theater or stadium or complex where our work or the work of our clients is being showcased. Even video games can have an in-person component. Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned day at the arcade? Our clients are often global travelers going from one state or country to the next to play their games or shoot their next film or project or perform their latest album.
Networking is key for us, and there is something special about being able to do it in the same room, though it is pretty cool that we can also do it from our own homes as well.
And so, this year, my primary goal is to give, you, the members, an opportunity to meet up again in person.
And I’m excited to announce that, in addition to having your Council have an in-person opportunity in August, we already have our first in-person social event for the broader Sports & Entertainment Law Section membership scheduled for Saturday, October 7, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval for the XFINITY Drive for the Cure 250. Details and invites will be circulated via email and on the section page. We have limitations on space, so I highly encourage those who can attend to RSVP early to lock in your space. I look forward to seeing some of you there.
In addition to networking (or perhaps as an expansion upon that), my second goal this year is to give members broader access to information and opportunities to serve the general public through pro bono opportunities that our section as well as the NCBA and NCBF offer.
In 2021, when the NCAA amended their amateurism rules to allow student-athletes to profit from name, image, and likeness, our section launched the Student-Athlete Pro Bono Project, which was and continues to be helmed by our Pro Bono Co-Chair Barbara Osborne. The program had a bit of a slow start in its initial year but is beginning to get some traction amongst students as the questions of AI re-creation rights and the ongoing guild/union strikes bring these conversations into the everyday home and conversations of young athletes. I encourage members to learn more about the program and to sign up to volunteer. You can find additional information here. We will also be hosting a lunch-and-learn style Zoom training for the project on Monday, October 2, at noon for those who are interested. Details will be separately emailed to members of the section.
Finally, I want to take the time to assert and affirm this section’s full support and acceptance of every member and individual regardless of class, age, creed, color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, national origin, disability, or genetics. To reiterate, what the NCBA President Patti Ramseur stated in this year’s opening remarks at the NCBA Annual Meeting, “it is imperative that we . . . (1) stay true to our mission; (2) respect the diversity of our membership; and (3) recognize that the very things that make us powerful as an Association may even limit us in other respects. The mission of the NCBA is ‘to serve the public and the legal profession by promoting the administration of justice and encouraging the highest standards of integrity, competence, civility and well-being of all members of the profession’ . . . in order for our Association to be its best self, we should be tolerant, slow to judge, and never condemn others who may have a different belief or opinion.”
I encourage you to get involved this year, whether by attending an event virtually or in person, attending one of our CLEs (our next one is on music on September 21), writing a blog post, volunteering for the clinic, or taking a step toward leadership and joining one of our many committees.
I look forward to meeting each of you this year! Let’s make it a great one!