LUKE FEDLAM

Sports Attorney (Partner)
Porter Wright
lfedlam@porterwright.com

Interview

• Where are you originally from?

  Born in Iowa, grew up in upstate NY

• Where do you currently reside?

  Columbus, Ohio

• What prompted you to get into the sports/entertainment industry?

  I didn't strategically plan to go into the sports/entertainment industry. My career started at an investment firm in Philadelphia, and after being there for around 5 years, I was recruited to help with a sports management start-up in Florida. Working with professional athletes as a financial advisor in 2006-2009 (leading into the Great Recession) my focus was on protecting athletes. In that vein, I was consistently bringing attorneys in to regularly help protect our athlete clients. I often found myself helping the attorney understand the unique complexities of the athlete and the athlete understand what the attorney is talking about. Having always wanted to be a lawyer, I decided to go to law school to become that legal advisor who can help protect and educate players. What's prompted me to stay in this industry is the fact that these athletes need qualified counsel that can be independent and objective in their advice.

• Please outline the services you provide for clients and any specialties.

  I provide non-agent legal services to college athletes transitioning into professional sports, professional athletes, and retired professional athletes. These services include: analyzing agent contracts, analyzing endorsement deals and marketing agent contracts, establishing appropriate business and legal structures, estate planning, due diligence and negotiation of private business investments, real estate investments, privacy agreements and other legal services professional athletes need.

• What type of clients do you typically represent? What factors do you consider when deciding which clients to take on?

  I typically represent college athletes transitioning into the pros; professional athletes (in all sports), and retired athletes. I also work with sports related businesses. When considering clients, I ideally look for clients who want to learn and understand the value of independent counsel. With athletes, that's not always the case early on. My job as their lawyer is to help get them to that place.

• What is one thing people would be surprised to know about your profession? What is one of the biggest misconceptions?

  Many athletes are surprised by how much an independent attorney (not acting as an agent) can be helpful in protecting an athlete. Many conversations regarding the work we do start by overcoming the misconception that legal advice is only needed for criminal issues. Many people don’t realize that an attorney can be helpful in planning and analyzing options when it comes to personal and business pursuits, as well as making sure that you are protected. A saying that I use a lot when sharing our work with people is “you don’t know what you don’t know.” This is so relevant to today’s athlete and the business of sports. There are so many opportunities available to today’s athlete, but you have to have a great team around you to help navigate decisions and provide insights that can educate and protect.

• What are some challenges or obstacles you have faced as an African-American in this profession?

  Having worked with athletes for nearly 15 years, I have had numerous experiences where I’ve shown up at someone’s office on behalf of the athlete and when I show up the other advisor (oftentimes Caucasian) doesn’t believe that I’m the athlete’s advisor. This happens less and less now, because most people will google the person they’re meeting with to get a sense of who they are. One of the challenges I faced earlier in my career was an internal one. When I would go to a meeting with another professional on behalf of the athlete, I constantly faced an internal struggle of whether I needed to prove myself to that person or not. As I matured in my career, I realized that I am very good at what I do and I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. What I need to do is execute the work that earns my clients’ trust and that helps educate and protect them.

• What do you think can be done to improve diversity with regards to representation?

  Improving diversity with regards to representation requires a commitment to involving younger diverse professionals, and students, in the work we all do every day. I always try to find opportunities to bring diverse high school, college, or law school students to the firm to see firsthand, the work for my clients. I didn’t know that what I’m doing now – being a non-agent sports attorney – even existed until after college. As we all collectively illustrate to young people the many opportunities that exist in the sports and entertainment industries, we can inspire them to engage in these industries as they develop in their careers. Specific to representation and things we can do right now, it’s important to build relationships that get advisors of color in front of athletes. Whether it’s professional development programming that teams/leagues sponsor or speaking opportunities at the college athletic department level – the more athletes see diverse advisors leading the way, the more likely they are to engage with diverse representation.

• What advice would you have for other African-Americans looking to enter this profession?

  Grind. Be resilient. Be relentless. There is no one who will work harder for your career progression and development than you. Seek out mentors, advocates and sponsors, but know that you have to put in the work so that they can most effectively help you. Also, when looking to enter this profession, don’t just seek out the ideal dream job. Think about what your dream job is and then study and research to understand what skills have made people in that job successful. Then look at what types of jobs can help you develop those skills most effectively.

• What is the best way for people to get in touch with you?

  People can reach me via email at: lfedlam@porterwright.com, my office direct line at 614-227-1938 . You can keep up with me at @LukeFedlam on social.