Upcoming UVA Law Symposium on Sports and Entertainment Law

On Friday, February 2, the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal and Virgina Continuing Legal Education will be hosting the first ever Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Symposium. I am excited to be a part of it, as it will feature an engaging mix of practical and theoretical topics, as well as a dynamic array of speakers. The symposium will be held at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville. Here is the schedule:

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2

8:00 Registration

8:30 Introductory Remarks

8:45 Breaking into Sports and Entertainment Law: A Practical Primer
A panel of experienced practitioners will discuss the strategies commonly used to competently begin representation of sports and entertainment clients. The panel will provide guidance in how to gain the substantive expertise in the economics, business models, and basic legal issues needed to engage potential clients. This panel is for beginning practitioners but can be a refresher for experienced sports and entertainment lawyers as well.
Kirk T. Schroder
Other panelists to be determined

9:45 Negotiating Sports and Entertainment Property Rights in the Digital Age
The channels of delivery for sports and entertainment content are rapidly expanding with the advent of new digital media and the convergence of traditional delivery methods. A lawyer negotiating property rights fees must assess the value of and protections for the product, as well as regulatory concerns in each instance of discrete transfer of rights. With the advent of visual or audio placement to cell phones, YouTube and similar web sites, video, iPODs, socially networking web sites, video games, satellite radio, and scores more of varied media, the lawyer/agent’s role has expanded exponentially. In this session the panel will provide an essential analysis of how to deal with the ever-changing landscape of this topic.
Moderator: Glen Robinson
Panelists: George Kliavkoff, Byron Marchant, Frank Golding, Philip Hochberg

11:00 Break

11:15 The Fundamentals of Representation in Film and Television Productions
In order to meet the demand from many new media of delivery of entertainment content, there has been a major increase in production activity throughout the world. Many states and foreign countries are actively competing to attract productions to their areas. This panel will focus on identifying the primary roles and responsibilities of the attorney in assisting his or her client — whether the client is an actor, director, writer, or studio production crew — and instructing the attorney on the basic elements of movie and television production. Topics will include a review of typical issues involved in the development, financing, production, and distribution of film and television content.
Moderator: Kirk T. Schroder
Panelists: Bennett Fidlow, Don Mandrik, Endi Piper, Michael Steger

12:30 Lunch Recess

1:30 The Fundamentals of Representation in the Music and Sound Recording Industries
Technology is far outpacing the legal and business issues in today’s music and sound recording industries. More and more people each day are receiving music and sound entertainment through a variety of innovative means of distribution to the consumer. This panel will discuss the basic elements involved in representing recording artists, musicians, and music companies, and contrast those elements with the various legal and business challenges facing the music industry as a result of certain new technologies.
Moderator: Kirk T. Schroder
Panelists: Jeff Cohen, Jamerah Dudley, Philip Goodpasture, Elva Holland

1:30 Too Young or Too Old to Play? The Legal Issues Surrounding Age Limitations in Professional Sports
Most professional sports impose age and/or educational limits on their incoming athletes. Not only do these criteria change on a regular basis, but they continue to be challenged in the courts. Constitutional, antitrust, and labor issues dominate this ongoing controversy. The members of this esteemed panel have been at the forefront of these issues, and their commentary will be candid, insightful, and of immense value in planning for the future.
Moderator: Michael McCann
Panelists: Philip Evans, J. Gordon Hylton, Rick Karcher, Kristi Schoepfer

2:45 Break

3:00 The Basics of Representing Professional Athletes
This superb panel will discuss the key elements to consider when representing professional athletes (or athletes hoping to become professional). The panel will discuss playing and marketing contract negotiations in individual and team sports, client fee arrangements, breach of contract (by the player or the team), tortious interference from other prospective lawyers or agents, labor issues, and ethical issues that face any attorney in this field.
Moderator: Kimberly Haynes
Panelists: Donald Dell, Kimberly Holland, Ryan Rodenberg, Larry Woodward

FACULTY

Jeff Cohen, Partner, Miller, White, Zelano & Branigan
Donald Dell (UVA Law, 1964), Senior Vice President, SFX Tennis; Founder of ProServ; Co-Founder, Association of Tennis Professionals; Legendary figure in sports marketing and representation
Jamerah Dudley, Co-Owner, National Artists League
Philip Evans (UVA Law, 1988), President, National Basketball Development League (NBDL)
Bennett Fidlow, Partner, Schroder Fidlow, PLC
Frank Golding (UVA Law, 1993), Assistant General Counsel, ESPN
Philip Goodpasture (UVA Law, 1985), Partner, Williams Mullen
Kimberly Haynes, Kim Haynes Law
J. Gordon Hylton (UVA Law, 1977), Professor, Marquette University Law School
Philip Hochberg, Law Offices of Philip R. Hochberg
Elva Holland (UVA Law, 1982), Video Producer and Entertainment Lawyer
Kimberly Holland, CEP, Icon Management
Rick Karcher, Professor, Florida Coastal School of Law
George Kliavkoff (UVA Law, 1988), Chief Digital Officer, NBC Universal
Don Mandrik, Associate, Arnall Golden Gregory
Byron Marchant (UVA Law, 1987), Executive Vice President and General Counsel, BET
Michael McCann (UVA Law, 2002), Professor, Mississippi College School of Law
Endi Piper (UVA Law, 1998), Director of Business and Legal Affairs, TV One, LLC
Michael Steger (UVA Law, 1993), Law Offices of Michael Steger
Glen Robinson, Professor, University of Virginia School of Law
Ryan Rodenberg, Associate General Counsel, Octagon
Kristi Schoepfer, Professor, Winthrop University
Kirk T. Schroder, Partner, Schroder Fidlow, PLC
Larry Woodward, Partner, Shuttleworth, Ruloff, Giordano & Swain

CO-DIRECTORS: Carnell L. Cherry, Robby Forbes, Kirk T. Schroder, and Sarah Wigfall

Special thanks to Robby Forbes and Jenny Luetkemeyer, Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor, respectively, of the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, for their excellent organization and planning of this event.

For more information on the Symposium, including prices on attending, securing lodging, and obtaining CLE credit, please lick here.

Posted in: