PHOENIX, AZ (August 17, 2010) – Jackson Lewis LLP (www.jacksonlewis.com), one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing workplace law firms, announced that sports law expert Gregg Clifton has joined the firm as Partner. For over 25 years, Mr. Clifton – who began his career as an Associate at Jackson Lewis - has earned a reputation as one of the finest sports and entertainment attorneys in the country, representing major league athletes and a variety of corporations in the area of sports marketing and consulting.
At Jackson Lewis, Mr. Clifton will be a key player in the firm’s Sports Industry Practice Group, where he will work with other attorneys in the firm who have deep, practical experience in the sports world. Together the group will provide valuable counsel to professional sports franchises in all labor and employment law related matters, including salary arbitrations, contract disputes, effective diversity strategies, emergency response obligations and plans and wage and hour compliance. The group will also negotiate executive employment agreements for coaches, managers, and administrators of professional sports franchises.
Additionally, the group will advise college and university clients on compliance with the growing number of NCAA and NAIA rules and guide institutions through increasingly complex regulations governing collegiate sports as well as represent them at every stage of the compliance process, including audits, civil rights reviews and government investigations.
“I am thrilled to return home to Jackson Lewis,” said Clifton. “The firm’s expertise in the full gamut of labor and employment issues, including critical areas such as immigration law, will enable us to provide the expertise necessary for our clients in this complex field of sports and entertainment law.”
Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, Mr. Clifton was Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Team Sports for Gaylord Sports Management in Scottsdale. There, he was responsible for developing and implementing legal and marketing strategies for the company, its clients and potential new clients. He also negotiated, drafted or oversaw all contractual agreements for Gaylord Sports Management and its professional clients’ employment and marketing agreements.
Prior to his six years at Gaylord Sports Management, Mr. Clifton served as Vice President and Senior Counsel for Athlete Representation at Octagon, a national sports marketing firm. For 10 years prior to that, he was president of the athlete and entertainment division of Woolf Associates in Boston.
Mr. Clifton frequently serves as an expert speaker to law schools and bar associations regarding sports law issues, including collective bargaining matters and labor arbitration issues. He is also often cited as an expert source in national news media for his commentary and opinion on legal issues in sports.
“Gregg’s reputation and expertise in sports and entertainment law brings new opportunities to Jackson Lewis in this expanding field,” said Jackson Lewis Managing Partner Amy Gittler. “He understands not only the intricacies of legal matters, but how they are important to the short- and long-term success of a company, its officers, directors and employees.”
Mr. Clifton is a graduate of the Hofstra University School of Law and graduated cum laude from Harvard University where he played on the basketball team and was a recipient of the John Harvard Scholarship for Academic Excellence. He is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association (past Chairman, Sports Law Committee), New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
For information about the Jackson Lewis Sports Industry Practice Group, please contact Mr. Clifton at (602) 714-7044.
About Jackson Lewis
Founded in 1958, Jackson Lewis is dedicated to representing management exclusively in workplace law with almost 650 attorneys practicing in 46 cities nationwide. Jackson Lewis has a wide-range of specialized practice areas, including: Affirmative Action and OFCCP Diversity Planning; Disability, Leave and Health Management; Employee Benefits, including Complex ERISA Litigation, Workplace Privacy and Executive Compensation; Global Immigration; Labor, including Preventive Practices; Litigation, including Class Actions, Complex Litigation and e-Discovery; Trade Secrets, Non-Competes and Workplace Technology; Wage and Hour Compliance; and Workplace Safety Compliance. In addition, Jackson Lewis provides advice nationally in other workplace law areas, including: Reductions in Force, WARN Act; Corporate Governance and Internal Investigations; Drug Testing and Substance Abuse Management; International Issues; Management Education, including e-Based Training; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Public Sector Issues; Government Relations; Corporate Diversity Counseling and College and University Employment Law and Compliance Issues.
Additional information about Jackson Lewis can be found at www.jacksonlewis.com
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For more information, please contact:
Lara Hamm, Jackson Lewis
T: (703) 483-8373, E: hamml@jacksonlewis.com
Kara Dullea, Details PR
T: (864) 275-3331, E: kara@detailspr.net